Legacy of the Fourth
by Rokudaime-Kage
Summary: [AU] Inheriting Yondaime's genius and under the tutelage of Jiraiya and Kakashi. Naruto joins the ranks of Konoha's shinobi at a young age to gain the village's acknowledgement and prove he is Yondaime's Legacy. [I dont own Naruto]
1. Enter: Uzumaki Naruto Yondaime's Legacy

Five years has passed since the attack from the great demon Kyuubi no Kitsune. Five years has passed since the great beast was sealed within the new born son of Yondaime Hokage 'Konoha's Yellow Flash.' Sarutobi set his gaze on the four stone faces carved on the mountain. his eyes traveled from the first stone face then moving on to the second. A smile formed in his face as his eyes passed his own stone face. Sarutobi let out a sigh of grief after stopping at the fourth stone face. 'Still so young and yet… You already left this world.' He thought as he saw a white haired man followed by a silver haired AnBu enter the building.

Sarutobi continued to watch the Hokage monument , waiting for his two visitors to arrive. After a few minutes the door to his office creaked open, turning around to greet his visitors , Sarutobi finally came face to face with his former student and the prized student of the Yondaime. Jiraiya of the Sannin and Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi ANBU Captain stood there at attention waiting for orders. Well Kakashi was waiting for any orders Jiraiya was looking at the view from the Hokage office.

"Ohayo Sarutobi-sensei… Care to tell me why you pulled me out of my 'research'?" Jiraiya asked , eyeing the old man before him while the young boy beside him stifled a perverted giggle. Sarutobi let out a small smile as he went back behind his desk and sat down. He motioned for the two of them to do the same in which the two politely obliged. Taking out his pipe , Sarutobi quickly lit it while continuing to look out the window, he puff on the pipe for a few minutes. He then put his pipe down on the ashtray , and turned his attention to a rather impatient Jiraiya. "Well? What was your reason for dragging me back in Konoha?" Jiraiya said , his voice filled with impatience and anger.

"I know your still not over the fact that he is gone." Sarutobi started, his eyes calmly observing the two men's faces. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the guilt and pained look from the two men. A pained look could now be seen in Jiraiya's visage while Kakashi had a guilty look on his face , both men were looking at the ground avoiding Sarutobi's gaze. "I asked Kakashi-kun here to track you down because there is something we must discuss." Sarutobi continued a twinkle in his eye could be seen as he started to explain his reason.

"As you know the Kyuubi no Kitsune was sealed within a new born baby boy. Not just any baby but his own son" Sarutobi said , Jiraiya and Kakashi looked up from their stupor to listen intently to what Sandaime had to say. "Since it took three years and a half just to track you down, I took it upon myself to care for the boy, all the while waiting for you to return." Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at this , knowing full well that the duties of a Kage was rather hectic and had very little time for leisure. Sarutobi held out his hand to stop the white haired man from asking questions.

"I had young Naruto placed under the care of the Uchiha clan during times when I am unavailable to care for the child. This prove quite a good thing also since the Uchiha clan not only cared for the child they also started teaching him in the ways of the Shinobi." Sarutobi continued , this cause Jiraiya to have a rather shock look on his face. "Yes Jiraiya I think it was a wise decision but sad to say not everyone in the village see the boy as the Hero but as the Demon itself. This is where you come in my former student as well as you Kakashi-kun" Sarutobi said looking directly into the two's eyes with a serious expression.

"Jiraiya put your research work on hold as much as it pains me. I want you back here as a jounin-sensei in Konoha." Sarutobi announce which cause Jiraiya to rise from his seat in anger and surprise. Sarutobi once again held out his hand to hold Jiraiya's questions and protest, he then continued "Kakashi-kun you and Jiraiya will be the boy's mentors since the two of you knew his father best but Do not divulge information about his lineage. I have already made arrangements for your stay here Jiraiya. Your old house here is still where you last left it."

After his explanation Jiraiya began to bombard Sarutoi with questions. "Why the hell does it have to be me? Why can't Tsunade-hime do it? I'm not cut out to take care of the boy!" Jiraiya yelled out his frustration. He really didn't want to put his research work on hold but a glare from Sarutobi quickly made him change his mind. Kakashi meanwhile tried to raise a question but the tense air between Sandaime and his former student.

"Sarutobi-sama where is the boy now?" Kakashi asked the question which made the two men in front of him turn towards his direction. Sarutobi had a thoughtful look on his face then glanced at the clock , a small smile forming on his face.

"Naruto-kun is at the academy right now attending classes" Sarutobi replied casually while Kakashi and Jiraiya's expression were of pure shock. Sarutobi then motioned for the two men to follow him towards the academy. "I believe classes are just about to end. Naruto-kun apparently has inherited his father's genius and rather hyperactive persona. and before the two of you ask me why Naruto-kun is attending the academy at such a young age. Well it would be because the boy seems more mature than kids his age."

"You see… Naruto has already been thru three assassinations attempts. From Shinobi's holding a grudge on the boy or the demon. If not for the protection of Young Itachi and his father. The boy would no longer be among us, Naruto has seen someone attempt to kill him. This caused the boy to be in such a traumatic state, also this lead me to explain to him about his special condition." Sarutobi said while calmly leading the nodding men towards their destination.

"How did the boy take it sensei?" Jiraiya asked fully interested now in training the boy. Sarutobi stopped for a few minutes to puff on his pipe before turning around to reply to Jiraiya's question.

"Naruto-kun was angry at first but then after I told him about Yondaime's dying wish. The boy went silent for three days , not talking to anyone not even to the Uchiha's who he has regarded as a family. After three days of silence Naruto came to me asking if there was a way for him to become stronger and uphold Yondaime's dying wish" Sarutobi said , a small tear rolling down his eyes when he remembered that day like it was yesterday. "So I started schooling him teaching him the basics like Math , Shinobi History and the essentials of a growing boy. After a year of home schooling from me and the Uchiha's I enrolled him to the academy to further his knowledge. This is his second year in the academy."

After a few more minutes of telling Jiraiya and Kakashi what they were to do with the boy , the three men arrived at the academy just in time to see the children coming out of the classes. The three of them walked on inside the building while the children and adults greeted Sarutoi and the two men in respect. "Kakashi-kun do you remember your time in this academy?" Sarutobi asked.

Kakashi just nodded while looking around the place , memories flooding back to him as he followed the Hokage thru the many hallways of the Academy. Reaching a door where a lot of noise seem to be coming from. "The boy may be able to match your record as the youngest to graduate from the Academy." Sarutobi smiled before opening the room and ushering the two men inside the classroom. Inside the room sat a short blonde 5 year old , silently listening to a bearded Chuunin who was discussing the lesson to the boy.

The Chuunin instructor finalling noticing the three men stopped his discussion and motioned for the boy to turn around. Upon turning around the boy's expression quickly became more lively as he jumped out from his seat and run towards the three men. "Hi Sarutobi Ojiisan! Guess what? Guess what?" Naruto said as he skidded to a stop in front of the three men while Sarutobi just chuckled at the boys antics.

"I've almost mastered the basic essentials of a Shinobi.. I can perform Henge no Jutsu and Kawarimi no Jutsu. I'll be learning Bunshin no jutsu next week!" Naruto shouted excitedly while bouncing on the ball of his feet. Sarutobi chuckled some more while Jiraiya curiously watched the boy. Kakashi meanwhile had a small smile on his face but it was well hidden from everyone's view due to his mask.

"That's very good Naruto that's quite an achievement and keep up your hard work. " Sarutobi replied while kneeling down to meet the boy eye to eye. "Now Naruto settle down I want you to meet some people" Sarutobi said as he motioned for Jiraiya and Kakashi to come forward. Naruto finally noticing the two men immediately became silent and look at the men with distrust in his eyes. Jiraiya and Kakashi were clearly shock by the boy's reaction to them.

"Don't worry my boy they aren't here to hurt you. In fact they're here to raise you." Sarutobi said reassuring the boy who was still looking at Jiraiya and Kakashi. Kakashi then knelt down beside the Sandiame and gave Naruto a smile as he took his hand out , offering it to the blonde boy.

"Yo! I'm Hatake Kakashi.. What's your name?" Kakashi said , his voice cheerful as the boy stared at him for a few seconds before taking his hand and shaking it in a friendly manner. Naruto then grinned and told Kakashi his name. Jiraiya chose to follow Kakashi's example and introduce himself in a more fashionable way. Naruto watched with glee as the white haired man performed his introduction , much to Sarutobi and Kakashi's embarrassment.

"Your a pervert!" Naruto said as he pointed an accusing at the white haired Sannin. Jiraiya had a sweat drop on the back of his head as he let out an embarrass laugh which of course was followed by Naruto laughing at Jiraiya for admitting he was a pervert. Kakashi meanwhile quickly hid a small orange book by shoving it into his shuriken pouch so the boy wouldn't see it.

"Naruto, you are going to live with Jiraiya now and Kakashi will be like your big brother. Both of them are going to teach you how to become a strong shinobi" Sarutobi explained while Kakashi picked up the blonde boy and made the boy sit on his shoulders. Naruto now had a gleeful look on his face as he laugh a genuine laugh. The three men soon joined in on the laughter.

So on that day Naruto went to the care of Jiraiya and Kakashi as his guardians. Jiraiya as the father figure while Kakashi became Naruto's big brother figure next to Uchiha Itachi. Naruto would continue to visit the Uchiha manor often training with Itachi and his father. Jiraiya continued Naruto's training outside of the academy often teaching the boy the things that were not taught inside the school. Kakashi of course trained Naruto in Taijutsu and other physical aspects of training like Stamina and Chakra building.

On the same day that the Uchiha Massacre occurred Naruto graduated from the academy with top marks all thanks to the help of Jiraiya and Kakashi's tutoring. The three of them celebrated Naruto's graduation in Ichiraku Ramen where Naruto met a Sophomore Chuunin by the name of Umino Iruka. The two of them quickly became fast friends with a common love for Ramen.

The next day the news about the Uchiha Massacre became the talk of Konoha, many were quite shocked to hear that Uchiha Itachi had killed everyone in his clan except his brother Sasuke. Sarutobi had quickly dispatched a team of Hunter-nins lead by Kakashi to capture the now missing-nin Itachi. All of Konoha felt the severe blow from its depletion of Shinobis since most of the Uchiha clan were part of the Konoha Police force.

Naruto also mourned for the lost of the Uchiha's since the clan had taken time to care for him since he was a baby although he never met Sasuke. Naruto grieved for a short while before returning to his duties as a genin. Sarutobi assigned Naruto to Jiraiya as his jounin-sensei which of course also became an issue from the council and village elders. Sarutobi silenced them by saying he is only fulfilling Yondaime's dying wish. Everyone eventually grudgingly accepted this while others thought differently.

Naruto meanwhile didn't really feel lucky to be trained by a Sannin plus extra training from Kakashi after the scheduled hours of training by the Frog Sannin. Jiraiya then started teaching Naruto chakra control and strategy while Kakashi continued with the physical aspects increasing the boy's stamina and chakra capacity. Kakashi also worked Naruto on speed and strength often subjecting the boy to weighted clothing and laps around Konoha. Kakashi would also train the boy's dexterity by throwing projectiles at him while under the influence of weights and a gravity enhance training method created by the Yondaime himself.

Naruto soon grew in strength physically and mentally under the tutelage of Jiraiya and Kakashi while showing him the other side of Shinobis. The side of which that shows Shinobis as human beings and not just killing tools. Jiraiya would also take Naruto on missions so let the boy gain some experience as a Shinobi. Sarutobi took close watch of Naruto's growth a smile forming on his face every time he saw the Yondaime's legacy strive his hardest in life.

But even though Naruto was strong and skilled , he was still a boy. A boy who just wanted to have friends , often times Naruto would only meet cold eyes from the villagers and rejected from his peers. Although it pained the boy not to be acknowledged by the villagers of his home , Naruto would always put a smile on his face and continue on. Naruto eventually found a few friends his age. He befriended Nara Shikamaru of the Nara clan , often challenging the budding genius to a game of Shougi.

Next Naruto befriended Akimichi Chouji of the Akimichi clan during a game of Ninja, well he was watching the game since he wasn't allowed to play. Soon the three of them were inseparable, during their free time Naruto , Shikamaru and Chouji are often seen either watching the clouds and eating chips or training. When Naruto's duties as a genin called him away on missions , his two friends would often wait for him or watch the clouds on their own.

Their friendship lasted for a long time until Jiraiya and Kakashi made Naruto take the Chuunin Selection exam. During these times the Chuunin exam was quite different , it was held in Akagahara where the Chuunin hopefuls were tasked to retrieve the Crimson four leaf clover. It was in this exam that Naruto met different foreign Shinobi , this was also where Naruto made his first kill his first time to kill a shinobi. At first it shook him since he had never taken a life before. This was also the first time that Kyuubi's powers surface , everyone in the village felt the intense killer intent coming from the testing area.

Jiraiya , Kakashi and Sandaime immediately rushed to the scene followed closely by a squad of ANBU. When they reached the place where the source of the killer intent originated , they found Naruto standing over a dead chuunin while being surrounded by the Marionette Shinobi squad. Kakashi made a move to rescue the still trembling boy but Jiraiya and Sandaime quickly held him back. The three of them and the squad of ANBU just looked on as a berserked Naruto began to deal with the marionettes , using the skills that he learned from Kakashi and Jiraiya.

"Well it seems the Kyuubi has finally awakened from it's slumber within Naruto" Sarutobi said after the Chuunin Selection Exam's were finished. Out of 70 genins who entered Akagahara to partake in the exam only 15 came out of the training area safely. Each of the 15 held a crimson four leaf clover in their hands one of these was Naruto. The fifteen of them after presenting the four leaf clover to the judges meaning the Kages present and Daimyos , were then given Chuunin flak jackets and promoted to the rank of Chuunin.

After being promoted to Chuunin, Jiraiya took Naruto away on a training exercise to train the Yondaime's legacy in controlling the Kyuubi's chakra and perhaps even taming the great beast. So for six months Konoha didn't see the white haired Sannin or his young apprentice , during these six months Jiraiya began teaching Naruto how to use Kyuubi's chakra after striking a deal with the fox of course. The fox stubborn as it already was put up a good fight in refusing to 'pay rent' as Naruto called it but in the end the fox agreed to help Naruto.

After the grueling training session he had under gone with Jiraiya , Naruto came back to the village to resume his duties as a Chuunin of Konoha. Naruto is now 7 years old 2 years since he graduated from the academy. Naruto would then often join Kakashi on missions ranking from C-rank to B-rank all the while learning from his big brother figure. Naruto also went on solo missions that were issued to him by Sarutobi. Jiraiya continued to teach Naruto the jutsus that he had learned also some of the jutsus that the Yondaime created.

At 8 years old Naruto followed Kakashi's example and joined the ranks of ANBU where he came under the tutelage of Morino Ibiki who specialize in Interrogation anf Torture and Mitarashi Anko who use to be an apprentice to the Sannin Orochimaru before the snake sannin defected from Konoha 9 years ago. It was also during this time that Sarutobi sent Jiraiya on a reconnaisance mission on a new organization rumoring to be growing in power.

Naruto , clothed in the ANBU uniform along with a black cloak and a white mask the resembled a menacing fox , stood at the gates of Konoha waiting for his father figure to arrive. Beside him stood Kakashi wearing similar clothes as him except his cloak was of a dirty white color signifying his rank as an ANBU captain. "Are you sure he's leaving at this time Kakashi-niisan?" Naruto asked , while trying to find any signs of the frog hermit.

Kakashi just nodded , his eye never leaving the orange book that he was reading. Naruto rolled his eyes in annoyance , giving Kakashi a disapproving look on the book he was reading. Jiraiya had just published his second novel Icha Icha Paradise at which of course Kakashi immediately bought after it hit the stores. The sound of popping signalled the arrival of the Frog Hermit, Naruto turned his attention to the new arrival. Jiraiya had a impish grin on his face as he faced his young protege and the ANBU captain.

"Well i'm off for my mission so I guess this is good bye for now." Jiraiya said kneeling down to meet Naruto eye to eye. He reached from his back pocket and pulled out a large scroll from it, he then handed it to Naruto. "This Naruto is something that the Yondaime left for you. Sarutobi is gonna strangle me for giving you this but I feel it is time that you learned the true reason why Kyuubi was sealed in you" Jiraiya said.

Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto shoulder as Jiraiya stood up and bade his farewell to the two of them. "I'll be back once this mission is complete until then... Naruto train more and remember what I taught you and learn the techniques in that scroll." Jiraiya said flashing the blonde haired ANBU with a grin. Naruto returned the grin with his own grin.

"Yosh! Don't worry Jiraiya-sensei I'll definitely learn the techniques left to me by Yondaime Hokage and I'll prove to the villagers I'm worthy of their acknowledgement" Naruto said , taking the hood off his head ,revealing his unruly spiky hair. Naruto then pocketed the scroll and gave Jiraiya a hug. "Till we meet again Jiraiya-sensei" Naruto said as he let go of the hug and took a step back.

"and Naruto if our furry friend decides to become abit of a problem. you know what to do" Jiraiya said ,his voice was serious when he said those words. Naruto just nodded happily , grinning back as Kakashi also waved bye to the Frog Hermit. "I leave Naruto to you Kakashi...I'll send you a copy of new volumes along with my mission updates" Jiraiya said as he started walking away from the village gates.

"Till we meet again Jiraiya-sama...till we meet again" Kakashi said as he and Naruto disappeared in poofs of smoke, to return to their duties as ANBUs.

Jiraiya looked back one last time before taking to the trees at a high speed. ' Train Hard Young Naruto and Make your father proud' were Jiraiya's thoughts as Konoha's gates shut tight.

Time jump to four years later , Konohagakure has grown in strength and power. Peace has reigned over Konoha under the leadership of Sarutobi Third Generation Fire Shadow. Sarutobi was once again looking at the Hokage Monument even though the stone faces reminiscing about his younger days. On his desk was a wrapped rectangular package addressed to him , he already knew the contents of the package. Jiraiya's mission report and his authographed copy of the new volume. Being Jiraiya's former sensei had it's perks when it came to his lecherous student's perverted novels.

A knock on his door brought Sarutobi back to reality, with a exhausted sigh he told his visitor to come in. Sarutobi quickly went back to his desk , putting away the small package into his drawer just as his visitor entered the room. He finally looked up to greet his visitor. "Ohayo Naruto-kun...I see you have come for your report" Sarutobi greeted while taking the folder from the young boy infront of him.

Naruto still looked the same in the four years that had passed. He still wore the issued ANBU uniform except now instead of the midnight black cloak a dirty white cloak now covered the uniform. Naruto then took of his mask and removed the hood as he sat down on the chair. He gave Sarutobi a small grin while the old man scanned thru his mission report. After a few moments Sarutobi put the mission report down and smoked on his pipe. Naruto patiently waited for the Sandaime to finish his pipe before asking if something was up.

"I see...So I take the mission was a success?" Sarutobi asked at which Naruto raised an eyebrow at the old man's question before answering in the only way Sarutobi knew the boy would respond. The boy stood up from his seat and glared at the old man for a few minutes before speaking.

"What you mean was the mission a success? Didn't you read my report old man? It said Target elliminated" Naruto roared while Sarutobi just grinned a twinkle in his eye could be seen as the old man began to chuckle in laughter.

"At least your still the same Naruto." Sarutobi said as he too got up and walked over to the window. He let out a puff of smoke before speaking again. "How long have you been a member of the ANBU Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi asked , his hazel orbs were pointed at the direction of the Hokage Monument. Naruto shifted from his seat to look at where Sarutobi was sight seeing.

"Four years Sandaime-sama...I've been in ANBU for four years" Naruto replied as he let his body relax , four years of non-stop training and doing missions. Since he didn't have that many friends except for Shikamaru and Chouji, Naruto would often be seen training in Training Field #7 , perfecting his Chakra control and physical abilities. Naruto also now knew that he was the son of the Yondaime , after reading Yondaime's letter he had understood why the Fourth chose him to be the vessel. Even though Naruto understood this , not many people understood that Naruto is still Naruto and not the Demon Fox.

"Your rank is currently Tokubetsu Jounin" Sarutobi said as he turned around facing the young ANBU captain with a smile. Naruto meanwhile just nodded , a similar smile forming in his face. "Quite an achievement really...You even surpassed Itachi's record" Sarutobi said while casting a glance at the boy infront of him. Naruto's facial expression had turned rather cold. Sarutobi shook his head , knowing full well that Naruto didn't like being compared to the Uchiha murderer. After a few minutes his expression returned to it's usual cheerful state , making Sarutobi sigh in relief the tense air inside the room were giving him the chills.

"It's getting late...You better go before Ichiraku closes. Your dismissed Naruto-kun" Sarutobi said as the boy gave him a salute before teleporting out of his office. 'He's growing quite well old friend...If only you could see him now' Sarutobi thought as he looked at the Hokage monument one last time before retiring for the night.

Later in Ichiraku Naruto could be seen sitting in his usual seat wolfing down on a bowl of Miso Ramen. Beside him sat his good friend Umino Iruka who was also eating the same food but at a slower pace. "So Naruto how was your mission?" Iruka asked while slurping on his ramen. Naruto meanwhile finished his second bowl of ramen before looking at Iruka with a serious expression.

"Well Iruka-sempai...The mission was quite hard at first but then I was able to elliminate the target" Naruto replied as he signalled for the chef to cook him another bowl of ramen. "How bout you? how's your classes going?" Naruto asked in return , patiently waiting for his third bowl of ramen. Iruke then turned to him with a wide grin just as the chef placed Naruto's ramen infront of him.

"Tomorrow is the Genin Final Exam and a lot of students are quite promising this year." Iruka said , while Naruto listened intently to what Iruka was saying while continuing to devour his bowl of ramen. "Uchiha Sasuke will be graduating this year along with your two friends Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji." Iruka said , a smile formed in Naruto's face as he nodded and fished out a few bills from his wallet and placed it on the counter. He then waved bye to Iruka before walking towards his apartment.

The next day Iruka gazed happily at his newly graduated students especially to the three students in front of him. Uchiha Sasuke, number one in his class next to him was a pink haired girl who was staring at the raven haired boy with admiration , Haruno Sakura, 2nd in class and finally Sarutobi Konohamaru the youngest in his class. Konohamaru had been accelerated because of a certain blonde ANBU captain who had beaten up Ebisu , Konohamaru's tutor. Konohamaru was a genius in his own right alway striving to be acknowledge who was also somewhat like Naruto. Striving for acknowledgement.

Beside Iruka stood the other chuunin examiner , Mizuki who was handing out the Hitai'ate's to the students after being graded. Mizuki smiled at the students after giving them their forehead protectors while saying "Enjoy...Good Work" Iruka wasn't paying much attention to Mizuki's actions because the brown haired chuunin was occupied with the next phase of the exam. The team selection and jounin-sensei selection , he let out a short sigh as he gave the last of the Hitai'ate's to Mizuki.

Iruka waited for the last of his students to leave the room before going to the Hokage's office to discuss about the team selection exam. It was already late in the afternoon so there wasn't that many people waiting outside of the Sandaime's office. Iruka knocked on the door before entering the room. Inside he found the old man signing some documents and reading mission reports from the numerous missions that were completed for the day.

"Ahh Iruka-kun...Good afternoon I see you brought me this year's rookie genin roster." Sandaime said as he placed his pipe on the ashtray and took the folder from Iruka. Sandaime went thru each one of the files while giving out the usual comments here and there. "Hhmm I see my grandson Konohamaru graduated as well...Too bad I wasn't able to come and greet him congratulations when he left the academy. Oh well I will have to make it up to the boy and maybe perhaps this time he won't use the jutsu that Naruto taught him." Iruka had a small smile on his face knowing the particular jutsu since he himself had fallen victim to the jutsu numerous times from Naruto and Konohamaru.

"Please sit Iruka so we may finish this as soon as possible and I can celebrate my grandson's graduation" Sandiame said offering Iruka the chair infront of his desk at which the academy instructor quickly obliged and sat down. "Okay let's start" Sarutobi said as he took out a new folder from his drawer marked New Genin Team roster. Iruka quickly filled the Sandiame in on each of the students individual abilities based on their academy grades.

The two of them worked on the team assignments for two hours , often checking and rechecking the abilties and academic grades of the students. The two of them just finished finalizing the team assignments when someone barged into the Sandaime's office. "Sandaime-sama There is an Emergency! Someone has stolen the Scroll of Sealing" Alarmed by the news Sarutobi quickly went into action as he ordered to gather all available Shinobi to find the thief. Iruka quickly left in order to search for the thief while Sandaime used his crystal ball to search for the culprit after dispatching the available ANBU squads that were on duty.

Iruka quickly went to find Mizuki in order to ask for help in finding the culprit. He knocked on the silver haired chuunin's door but he soon found that the door was unlocked. Curious as to why Mizuki would leave him door open , Iruka entered the small apartment to check if the other instructor was asleep. when he reached Mizuki's room he was shock to find some rather troubling things. Schedules of the guards in the hokage tower and other documents that involved and placed on the wall was a blueprint of the Hokage's office along with the room of scrolls where the Scroll of sealing was kept. Realization hit Iruka as he now knew the identity of the thief , without wasting anymore time Iruka dashed out of the small apartment heading towards the forest.

In the forest Mizuki was leaning against a tree waiting for someone to arrive , strapped to his back were two large shurikens. 'Where is he?' Mizuki thought as he looked at his watch checking the time. Beside him was the scroll of sealing, he stared at it with satisfaction , a crooked smile forming in his face as he thought about the power that was inside the scroll.

A movement from the bushes brought Mizuki back to reality. 'Finally! he' here' Mizuki thought as he picked up the scroll of sealing preparing to leave with the new arrival. "What took you-" Mizuki began but he stopped in mid sentence because the person that had appeared from the bushes wasn't who he expected. Iruka had found him. Mizuki silently cursed his luck as he returned Iruka's glare.

"Mizuki Why did you take the scroll of sealing?" Iruka asked , he caught sight of the scroll beside the man but made no move to get it. Mizuki meanwhile now had a smirk on his face as he pulled out one of the large shurikens from it's strap.

"I'm surprise that you found this place Iruka! not many know about this place. Why you ask? Well Anything is possible with this scroll!" Mizuki replied as the shuriken in his hand began to spin. "With this scroll I will become powerful...Even more powerful than that stupid old man of a Hokage! This village sickens me...It even let a monster into our ranks of Ninja!" Mizuki roared out as he threw the shuriken in Iruka's direction. Iruka quickly sidestepped to avoid the large shuriken but he failed to see the kunais flying towards him.

Pain coursed thru Iruka's body as the kunai's struck , one grazing him on the shoulder while another was completely buried on his left thigh. Iruka gritted his teeth as he pulled out the kunai on his thigh. Iruka threw the kunai at Mizuki who easily dodged then Iruka picked up a log and ran back towards the village. 'What an idiot' Mizuki thought as he made a move to pick up the scroll. Mizuki clenched his hands into fist when he only felt a rough bark. 'That bastard I'll kill him for pulling such a trick on me!' Mizuki quickly dashed towards the direction Iruka ran. The log that Iruka had taken was now where the scroll use to be.

Iruka ran like the hounds of hell were after him, he held onto the scroll tighly as he tried to increase his speed but the numerous injuries he had sustained against Mizuki was taking it's toll. 'I have to get the scroll back to the village. I can't let Mizuki get a hold of this scroll' Iruka thought as he leaped down from a branch and continued to run on the ground. 'It seems like Mizuki hates Naruto because of the nine-tails. Stupid prejudiced jackass' Iruka thought anger clearly showing in his face as he remembered Mizuki's words about the Hokage and Naruto.

Meanwhile back at the tower , Sarutobi watched in interest as the chase went on. He shook his head when the thief's identity turned out to be Mizuki. 'Such a pity he is blinded by hate' Sarutobi thought as he focused some more on the scene before him. 'I hope the ANBU squad gets there soon...Mizuki's companion is already in hot pursuit on the two of them.'

Mizuki had finally caught up with Iruka who had taken a short rest. He now had Iruka cornered against a tree. "Nowhere to run Iruka." Mizuki said as he pulled out the last of his shurikens from it's strap. "Too bad it had to end this way Iruka. I would have offered you a chance to join me and avenge your parents. you could have been the one to kill that monster fox" Mizuki said but the look on Iruka's face told him that the chuunin instructor would have no part in his plans.

"DIE IRUKA!" Mizuki yelled as he advanced towards the downed chuunin. Iruka stared straight into Mizuki's eyes before looking down in defeat. 'I guess this is the end' Iruka thought as he waited for Mizuki's final blow. Iruka waited for the pain to come but it never came as he only heard the sound of Mizuki screaming in pain and metal falling to the ground with a thud.

Iruka opened his eyes to see Mizuki clutching to a stump were his arm use to be. The arm holding onto the Shuriken now lay on the ground , blood seeping from it staining the grass and dirt. 'Nani?' Iruka thought as he looked pass the screaming Chuunin. A smile formed in his face as he recognized his rescuer. Behind Mizuki stood a short ANBU cloaked in dirty white , the Fox mask looking rather cold at the traitor.

The short ANBU held a large sword in his hand while staring at the still screaming Mizuki. Mizuki glared at the ANBU while clutching his wound trying to stop the bleeding. "Damn you..." Mizuki cursed as the ANBU just swung his sword onto his shoulder, a dust cloud and the wind that was circling around him was pushed back by the large chakra that the ANBU immited.

The ANBU then spoke , his familiar voice now made Iruka sure of his rescuer's identity. "Don't lay a finger on Iruka-sempai..." The ANBU said before removing his mask revealing his visage to Mizuki. "I'll kill you if you do" The ANBU said , his voice was now filled with anger and coldness. Mizuki just laughed and charged forward attacking blindly.

"Why don't you try it you Bastard!" Mizuki yellld as he quickly broke into a full run towards the ANBU captain. Meanwhile Iruka watched with admiration at his rescuer. 'There's only ANBU who has that high amount of chakra...' Iruka thought as the ANBu captain let out a battle cry , charging head on to the attacking traitor. 'There's only one ANBU who has that height' Iruka thought a smile forming in his face as the ANBU disappeared , by using Shunshin no jutsu, from Mizuki's sight and reappear behind the traitor. 'There's definitely only one ANBU captain who has a sword that huge!' Iruka thought as the ANBU begin to deliver his final blow to Mizuki.

"Feel my wrath for having raised a hand on a comrade!" The ANBU said as dealt the final blow on Mizuki by swinging the sword in a slashing manner letting loose a large blade made out of chakra to slice Mizuki in half killing him instantly. Iruka sighed in relief as the ANBU quickly elliminated Mizuki's body using a katon jutsu. After the body ellimination was done the ANBU captain then turned to Iruka , a wide grin could now be seen on the ANBU's face as he removed the hood on his head.

The blonde boy infront of him gave Iruka a grin as he moved towards the injured man. "You alright Iruka-sempai? Sorry I'm late I got lost trying to find you" The boy said while Iruka just chuckled at the boy's antics.

Name: Uzumaki Naruto Age: 12

Village: Konohagakure no Sato

Rank: Tokubetsu Jounin / ANBU captain

Mission Index:

D-rank 50 C-rank: 15 B-rank: 27 A-rank: 17 S-rank: 1

Abilities:

Ninjutsu: Superior Genjutsu: Average Taijutsu: Genius

Additional Info:

Human Vessel of Kyuubi no Youkou

Protege of Sannin Jiraiya

Graduated Academy at Age 5

Promoted to Chuunin at age 7

Joined rank into ANBU at age 8 under the command of Morino Ibiki and Mitarashi Anko

Became ANBU Captain at age 11

Codename: Konoha's Death God

Back at the village Sarutobi had a small smile on his face as he exited the building , finding most of the Jounins and Chuunins in panic as the asked each other. "Did you find the thief?" One chuunin asked while the ANBU squads nearby didn't immediately stood at attention. "Where's Captain Uzumaki?" An ANBU cloaked in black asked looking for the short captain everyone who knew the blonde looked around noticing the lacking presence of their blonde comrade.

Sarutobi stepped up , his hand holding onto his lit pipe. "There's no need to worry. Naruto and Iruka has found the scroll of sealing and disposed of the traitor." Everyone relaxed at this bit of news after which Sarutobi dismissed them as he went back to his office to await the arrival of the two. He watched from his crystal ball as Naruto supported Iruka as the two walked back to the village.

'Your son is living up to your expectations my friend' Sarutobi thought as the images in the ball disappeared.


	2. Team 7: A slap to reality

It was two days after the incident ,most of the nins in the village had forgotten about it while the others just shrugged it off. Iruka meanwhile was still working on the Team assignments leaving the Jounin assignment to the Hokage since Sandaime had only requested a copy of the rookie genin roster. Sarutobi was currently in a meeting with the Jounin senseis for the new genins.

Naruto who was asked to come to the meeting watched the Jounins and Sandaime go over the rookie genins. Today Naruto wasn't wearing his ANBU uniform save for his ANBU mask, instead Naruto wore the standard Tokubetsu Jounin uniform only it was all in midnight black instead of the navy blue issued uniform. He watched thru the slits on his mask noticing a silver haired jounin not paying attention to the meeting instead the jounin read an autographed orange book. Shaking his head Naruto made his way towards the silver haired jounin.

"Oi Kakashi-niisan Stop reading Jiraiya's novel and pay attention. Sandaime-sama is calling your attention" Naruto said as he neared the person he called big brother. The older man looked down from his book upon hearing his name being called. He smiled at the blonde boy infront of him before looking back up to find a glaring Sarutobi. Kakashi raised a hand in apology while Naruto just snickered earning him a backhand from Kakashi,

Peering into the crystal ball , Kakashi and Naruto saw the image of Uchiha Sasuke sitting by the window while girls fought over the seat next to him. "So that's him? This year's number one rookie, Uchiha Sasuke?" Asuma asked , looking at the direction of his father the Sandaime. Sarutobi just nodded while letting the rest of the jounin's stare at the happenings in the room. "The survivor of the Uchiha clan within the village" Kurenai said as her red eyes looked on at the scene unfolding at the academy.

Kakashi meanwhile looked passed the image of the stoic Uchiha, where Konohamaru was glaring at the number one in their class. 'Sarutobi Konohamaru eh?' Kakashi thought as Naruto moved closer to see what Kakashi was looking at. He laughed when he saw Konohamaru climbing his desk and staring straight into Sasuke's eyes. The other jounins and Sandaime watched in fascination as Konohamaru and Sasuke almost accidentally kiss in the lips.

"So that's the rookie of the year? Itachi's brother?" Naruto asked after regaining his composure while the other jounins looked on as the girls began to strangle Konohamaru. "Hahaha That Konohamaru, always the center of attention. I wouldn't want to be the gu to teach him" Naruto said as he went to the back as Sarutobi cleared his throat to begin the appointing of teams to the Jounins. Naruto began to tune out the meeting as he let his mind travel to the back of his mind.

In Naruto's mind the boy came face to face with a large locked door with a small keyhole and a door knob. Naruto fished out a ordinary looking form his pocket and pushed it into the keyhole. He turned the key hearing a soft click then a seal appeared on the door, with a smile Naruto placed a hand on the seal which then slowly began to retreat to the edges of the door. Naruto then entered the great chamber to have a little chat with Kyuubi.

Inside the great chamber a huge gate could be seen as Naruto stepped up to the sealed gate. "Oi Kyuubi! Wake your fuzzball Ass up!" Naruto yelled as the great beast began to stir from it's slumber. Naruto waited for the Kyuubi to fully awake , hearing growls and yawning sounds from inside the cage. "WAKE UP KYUUBI!" Naruto yelled after a few minutes of the fox not even noticing your presence.

**"What is it that you want brat?" **Kyuubi replied his crimson orbs staring back into Naruto's cerulean orbs. Kyuubi growled in anger when Naruto ignored him for a few minutes before replying to his question. Naruto took a seat on the cold floor while , having a thoughtful look on his face.

"Tell me again how my father defeated you?" Naruto asked , earning him a furious growl from the great beast. Naruto snickered knowing this would infuriate the Fox. His visage quickly went from amusement to a serious one as he looked at Kyuubi again. "Well I was wondering if there's anyway for me to learn your jutsus and knowledge" Naruto said as he watch Kyuubi look up in surprise and waited for it to think about the idea.

**"Hhmm a rather good proposition maybe perhaps you'll finally show some respect**" Kyuubi said as he thought of the idea in also leaving behind his own legacy. **"I will think about your offer boy but If you truly want me to teach you. At least learn to call me by my name and show some respect!" **Kyuubi roared as he used a small amount of his chakra to send Naruto back to reality.

Back to reality Naruto found himself being stared at by all the jounins and the Hokage. Naruto raised an eyebrow tring to understand why they were looking at him like that. Sarutobi loosing patience chose to clue the boy in on what just trasnpired in the meeting. "Ah Naruto-kun so good of you to join us here in the real world" Sarutobi said while trying to hold in his anger. Snickers from the other jounins in the room could be heard. Naruto let ous a sigh then apologized for not paying attention.

"Okay now let me start with the team assignments" Sarutobi said as the jounins immediately lined up to receive their new teams. Sarutobi began handing out the folders to each Jounin , giving them teams 1 to 6. When he reached team 7's folder a small smile formed in his wrinkled face as he called out the jounin to lead the team. "Uzumaki Naruto you will lead team 7" Sarutobi announced the jounins around the room were in shocked when they heard it.

Naruto meanwhile had a different reaction, he looked up in surprise then started yelling. "What you mean I'm to lead a team of genin? I'm an ANBU Captain Old man not some baby sitter!" Sarutobi's face quickly flared into anger after the old man comment. "I don't want to lead a team of Genin let Kakashi-Niisan do it" Naruto shouted out , crossing his arms in defiance. Sarutobi just inhaled some smoke from his pipe before Kakashi stepped up to explain why he was chosen.

"Naruto...You need to lead a team who is younger or the same age as you Not older than you" Kakashi explained while Naruto tried to ignore Kakashi and Sarutobi's gaze. 'Why do I have to do this anyways?' Naruto thought as he tried to find a way to get out of the situation. After a few minutes of thinking , Naruto let out a sigh in defeat. He looked at Kakashi then to Sarutobi.

"Who's going to take over my team?" Naruto asked indicating the team of ANBU he lead. Sarutobi just pointed to the person beside him , Naruto turned to his side and found Kakashi. "Eh? Isn't Kakashi-niisan a jounin already?" Naruto asked , Sarutobi meanwhile was rummaging thru a closet behind his desk. Kakashi just gave a smile to Naruto. "But..but I can't teach...I don't know what to teach them." Naruto protested again, Kakashi ignored Naruto's protest by reading his Icha Icha Paradise.

Sarutobi finally found what he was looking for and threw it to Naruto. Naruto caught the object easily then started to inspect the object. "What's this old man? You trying to bribe me?" Naruto asked while holding out the object that Sarutobi had thrown at him. A black Jounin vest just his size. Sarutobi let out a small laugh as he just sat back in his seat and continued to hand out the last of the team folders. "You'll take a team" Sarutobi said casually.

"NO WAY!" Naruto shouted as he tried to control himself. Sarutobi repeated what he said but Naruto tried to ignore him. Naruto growled as Sarutobi just gave him a small smile. Naruto just glared at Sarutobi trying to persuade the old man from giving hima genin team. Naruto quickly stepped back , his hands performing a handseal. "Henge!" Naruto called out as smoke rose up from the ground , quickly transforming him. "Please, Hokage-sama..." Naruto said in his female form, blowing a kiss at the old man. Sarutobi stiffened while the male jounins gasped in surprise when they saw what Naruto transformed into.

Sarutobi and all the male jounin's in the room immediately fell backwards after a huge torrent of blood shot out of their noses. All of the males in the room including Kakashi of course lay on the floor twitching while a trickle of blood flowed freely into the tiles. After a few minutes of which Naruto tried to control himself from laughing out loud , Sarutobi and the other men came to , using their handkerchiefs to wipe the blood from their noses. "Oroike no jutsu... What a devastating technique you have" Sarutobi said, earning him glares from the other men in the room and a painful pinch from Kurenai. "Anyways Naruto You will take on a team whether you like it or not. Your rank is now Rookie Jounin."

"Your team Naruto will consist of Uchiha Sasuke , Haruno Sakura and my grandson" Sarutobi said while the newly promoted rookie jounin just let out a defeated sigh. "I'm putting my trust in you to train Konohamaru well" Sarutobi said as he blew out some smoke. Naruto raised his hand to protest but Sarutobi just silenced him with a hand. "I know this is difficult for you since You never communicated with children your age except for Shikamaru and Chouji. Think of it as a chance to make some new friends" Sarutobi said while Naruto just nodded knowing full well that there was no changing the old man's mind.

"Good now that you accepted. All of you will be meeting your new teams later in the afternoon. So I suggest to take this time to read the folders and plan a final test for your teams" Sarutobi said as he waved them off dismissing them. "Oh and Naruto Good luck and Congratulations" Sarutobi said to the retreating back of Naruto. Naruto raised his hand in acknowledgement to what the Hokage said.

Naruto finally caught up with Kakashi who was currently on his way towards the ANBU HQ to meet Naruto's old team and deliver the news of their new captain. "Oi Kakashi-niisan Wait up!" Naruto called out to the son of the White Fang. Kakashi upon hearing Naruto's voice stopped and turned to the source. He riased an eyebrow , inquiring what Naruto wanted. "ne Kakashi-niisan. Can you at least help me train with my new team? Maybe train the Uchiha or something. I can handle Konohamaru and eerr this Haruno girl but I don't know jack shit about the Sharingan except countering it."

"Okay fine... I'll help you...but only as an adviser I won't be there all the time." Kakashi replied , placing his hand on Naruto's head and ruffling up the boy's natural spiky hair. Naruto just nodded as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, Kakashi ran his hand thru his hair that defied gravity and continued on to the building.

Naruto meanwhile was heading towards Ichiraku for a quick lunch ,seeing as he only had an hour to go before meeting with Team 7. On his way there he passed by a dango stand where a purple haired female Tokubetsu Jounin was ordering some dango. The purple haired female catching sight of the blonde jounin , waved her hand motioning for Naruto to join her. "Konnichiwa Anko-neechan!" Naruto greeted as he came closer to his former commander.

"Hey Naruto-kun...care to join me for some dango?" Anko asked , offering Naruto one of her dango pieces. Naruto waved his hand indicating he didn't want to impose. Anko just shrugged it off , continuing to eat her meal with satisfaction. Anko finally noticing the different vest that Naruto wore ,raised an eyebrow. "Did Old Man Sarutobi kicked you out of the ANBU force?" Anko asked , while giving Naruto the once over with her eyes making the boy fidget under her scrutiny.

"The old man said I'm better off training genins my age rather than leading a team of subordinates twice my age" Naruto replied as he looked up at the sky , checking the time. "he also wants me to train Itachi's little brother and his grandson Konohamaru." Naruto replied while Anko tried not to laugh at the boy's situation.

"You mean your teaching this year's number one rookie and The third's grandson?" Anko asked in surprise since she knew of the boy's reputation as a heart throb around the academy and also the other female population. Naruto just nodded in annoyance , he was clearly not happy about being removed from the ANBU force. "Oh well at least you get to keep your mask and that Huge sword of yours" Anko said , pointing to the dangling ANBU mask strapped to Naruto's belt. Naruto just grinned as he pulled out the large blade.

"Yeah too bad though _Zanpaku_ Soul Slayer will miss separating a target's soul from it's body" Naruto said , giving Anko a wide grin which ANko returned with an even wider grin. Naruto quickly sheathed his sword as he turned to leave for his lunch. "See ya around Anko-neechan and Enjoy your blood baths" Naruto called back as he disappeared inside of Ichiraku. Anko just chuckled lightly at the small joke that the boy just said. 'I'm gonna miss your energetic ways Kid' Anko thought as she paid for her meal and left.

At the academy most of the newly graduated genins were waiting in anticipation to for the Three-man team assignment. Most of the kunoichi were arguing on who would be in Sasuke's team. Such kunoichi were Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino , rivals and former best friends, were sitting in a corner arguing on who had the best chance of being paired up with the Uchiha survivor.

Konohamaru meanwhile wasn't paying attention to the ruckus in the room, his attention was on the shougi board infront of him. His opponent was non other than the laziest person in their class Nara Shikamaru. Sitting beside Shikamaru was Akimichi Chouji who had a bag of potato chips in his hand. Shikamaru and Konohamaru often played Shougi even during their free time, with Shikamaru as the victor in each match. Konohamaru didn't really like playing the game but his uncle Asuma and Naruto told him it would improve his skills as a shinobi.

"So Shikamaru-niisan, who do you think would be in the three-man teams?" Konohamaru asked as he moved a piece then taking one of Shika's pieces. Shika looked up from the board, he thought for a moment before answering Konohamaru's question.

"Hhmm...I don't have any idea...probably based on our grades in the academy. I don't really care it's too troublesome" Shikamaru replied , his voice now sounding bored as he moved a piece on the board then said. "Checkmate... Game over" Chouji opened another bag of chips just as Iruka entered the room holding onto a piece of paper.

"Starting today you are no longer students. You are now real Shinobi's and Kunoichis ,but you are still merely rookie genin. The hard part has just started." Iruka said as he looked at the genins infront of him. 'Yeah but only nine of you will be real genins' Iruka thought as he began to announce the three-man teams. "Now i will divide you into the three-man teams and assign a Jounin sensei to complete missions with." Iruka announce , all attention immediately going to him.

The teams were then announce , balancing each team's strength, Iruka announce the teams from the first up to the sixth. Most of the kunoichi genins were waiting anxiously who would be with Uchiha Sasuke. "Now for Team 7. Uchiha Sasuke" Iruka announce , feeling every kunoichi in the room tense up upon hearing the number one rookie's name being called. "Haruno Sakura" This of course caused Sakura to rise from her seat and yell out in triumph Iruka had a sweat dropped on his head when he saw Sakura's reaction. Iruka cleared his throat to gain back his former students reactions. "and Sarutobi Konohamaru" everyone gasped when they heard this.

Konohamaru meanwhile immediately rose from his seat and began protesting. "Iruka sensei! Why does an outstanding ninja like me have to be on the same team as that bum" his finger pointing to Sasuke then he contined "And to the ugly flat chest!" This earned him a punch from Sakura while Sasuke just ignored Konohamaru's words.

"Sasuke is this year's number one rookie and Sakura is the top Kunoichi in the class" Iruka said as he looked up to where Konohamaru was standing. "Konohamaru your grades in the academics were only average and you barely passed the physical exam! Your physical exams pulled you down to Dead Last!" Iruka said everyone in class laughed. Iruka once again cleared his throat as the class went into silence again, silent enough to hear Sasuke say.

"Just don't get in my way Dobe" Sasuke said while Konohamaru just ignored Sasuke words and went back to his chest. Sakura meanwhile praised Sasuke for being the number one rookie but all she got was. Sasuke looked at her then said. "Don't get in my way as well Flatchest" Sakura was in the brink of tears. Iruka just shook his head as he resumed announcing the teams. When the final team was announced Iruka opened the door to let the jounin-senseis enter the room to collect their students.

The jounins though didn't use the door, instead they teleported right in the middle of the room , earning them surprised gasped from the genins. Each of the jounins stepped forward when their names were called out to fetch their teams. The jounins then immediately collected their teams and left. It was until team 7's sensei was called that everyone were shocked. "Team 7's sensei..." Iruka started to announce when he looked at the name he almost fainted in shock. "Uzumaki Naruto" Iruka had a shocked look on his face while thinking 'Nani? What the hell is Sandaime-sama thinking?'

The members of team 7 looked up infront trying to find their sensei among the jounins assembled, but no jounin were answering to the name. A crash from outside the classroom caused everyone to look at the door as it began to open. As the door opened a masked Jounin stumbled into the room , breathing rather hard. "Sorry I'm late! I had to help an old woman to cross the street ." The jounin said his apologies as he stood up while everyone stared at him in wonder. Shikamaru and Chouji had hgue grins on their faces when they saw their friend enter the room. They were saddened thought because Naruto wasn't their sensei.

'What the hell? That's our Jounin-sensei? A midget?' Sakura thought as she watched the Jounin dust himself off. She then noticed the way the other jounins were standing at attention not like before where they were relaxing. She also notice the big sword strapped to Naruto's back , her eyes going wide in shock. 'Wow thats a huge sword' Every genin in the room was staring at the short jounin and the huge sword that he was carrying.

"It's alright Captain Uzumaki. Your not that late" A jounin replied when the short jounin set his gaze around the room. Naruto just nodded in reply as he then had a little talk with Iruka. Most of the Jounin's present except for Asuma and Kurenai had undergone ANBU training. They knew of Naruto's reputation as well as his status as the vessel of the Nine-tails.

"Naruto, what the hell is going on? I thought you were incharge of an ANBU squad" Iruka said , his voice filled with annoyance while naruto just shrugged and told him the reason why he was pulled out of ANBU duty then promoted to the rank of Jounin. Iruka grudgingly accepted the Hokage's reason then turned to the class. "Alright Team 7 follow your sensei" Iruka said as the three member's rose from their seats and began to follow Naruto out of the door.

Iruka then announced the rest of the Jounin-senseis to the other teams. "Team 8 Jounin-sensei Yuuhi Kurenai" Team 8 composed of Hyuuga Hinata , Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino immediately stepped forward , following Kurenai out the door. "Team 9 Jounin-sensei Sarugaki Tsujimi" Team 9 immediately followed the cross eyed looking Jounin. "Team 10 Jounin-Sensei Sarutobi Asuma" Shikamaru grumbled as he got up and lazily walked out the door followed by Chouji and a still in disbelief Ino.

At the Hokage Monument Team 7 could be seen sitting on the floor. Naruto carefully observed his new team , sizing them up by the size of their chakra capacity. 'Hhmmm the Uchiha has a large amount..good potential too... The Haruno girl has just enough to perform basic techniques..and hhm Konohamaru's chakra capacity is slightly higher than the girl' Naruto thought while watching his team thru his ANBU mask. Naruto had decided to wear his mask to hide the marks on his face. "Well let's start with some introductions"

"Introductions?" Sakura asked while she shifted to her right, looking at Naruto. "What should we say sensei?" She asked. Naruto meanwhile held out his hand and began to speak again.

"How bout your likes and dislikes...Dream for the futures but before that. You can call me Naruto-sempai, not sensei since I'm just the same age as you." Naruto replied , this earned him shocked looks from the two top students while Konohamaru already knew who it was under the mask. "Except you.. your going to call me Sensei since i'm older than you and your teammates Niisan and Neechan" Naruto said pointing his finger to Konohamaru.

"Okay but why don't you introduce yourself first" Sasuke said , clearly wanting to know about the jounin assigned to lead Team 7. Naruto placed a hand on his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"Me? My name is Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto started , the three members of team 7 listening intently to Naruto's introduction. "I have no desire to tell you about my likes. My dislikes are people who give up and those who say there is always a short cut to gaining strength." Naruto continued which made Konohamaru and Sakura have confused looks on their faces. Naruto then turned around facing the stone faces of the Hokage as he said his dream. "My dreams for the future is become Hokage and surpass the previous Hokages so that Konohagakure no Sato will recognize my existence."

The three of them now had looks of admiration to what Naruto just said. Sakura meanwhile huddled closer to Sasuke and Konohamaru. "So all we learned was his name , his dislikes and dream" Sakura said in a whisper , both boy's replying by nodding their heads.

"Okay your turn" Naruto said pointing to Konohamaru as he crossed his arms leaning against the railing as he once again faced the three genins.

"My name is Sarutobi Konohamaru!" Konohamaru said as he pointed to himself. "I like to train and pull pranks on Sarutobi-ojiisan and techniques that ojiisan teaches me! my dislikes are people who do't see me as me but as the Hokage's grandson!" He said , his voice had a hint of anger when he said the last part. "My dreams for the future is to become Hokage and have everyone call me by my real name! My hobbies are challenging my rival for the hokage name" Naruto smiled in his mask. 'Well that's interesting' Naruto thought as he pointed to Sakura.

"My name is Haruno Sakura." Sakura said cheerfully as she gave a small smile. "My likes are...the person that I like is..." Sakura said as she looked at Sasuke with dreamy eyes. "My hobbies are..." She once again looked at Sasuke then turning away before saying. "My dreams for the future is..." She looked at Sasuke one last time before burying her face between her knees , fits of giggles could be heard.

"And? Your dislikes?" Naruto asked , his voice beginning to be annoyed by the information he was getting from the girl.

"I dislike Konohamaru" Sakura replied flatly , glaring dagger at Konohamaru as she said it. Konohamaru meanwhile stood up shaking his fist at the pink haired kunoichi.

"You want to make something out of it Flat Chest?" Konohamaru roared infuriating the kunoichi as Naruto just coughed making the two of them turn their attention back to Naruto. 'Great I got a love struck girl...Che Why are girl's more iterested in love than training? Oh well more fun for me' Naruto thought as he spoke to repriman Konohamaru the only way he knew how.

"my My Konohamaru I didn't know you were a pervert like your grandpa" Naruto said immediately shutting up Konohamaru and making the boy return to his seat. "and the Last one?" Naruto said pointing to Sasuke.

Sasuke had his hands up to his chin as if he was deep in thought. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke." the Uchiha survivor started while gazing on the floor. "There are ton's of things that I dislike. And I don't really like anything" Naruto just listened intently to Sasuke's introduction , his introduction by far seem to be the most interesting. "I don't like to use the word 'dream' more like ambition. The ressurection of my clan and to kill a certain man" Sasuke said , his eyes blazing in fury at the very thought of Itachi.

Konohamaru had moved away from Sasuke , looking at the stoic Uchiha like he had lightning bolts coming out of his ass. 'He better not mean me' Konohamaru thought while Sakura had hearts in her eyes , staring at Sasuke with admiration. 'Sasuke-kun is so cool!' Naruto meanwhile wasn't too impress with the last part. 'As I thought..Well this is great...I have a team consisting of a love struck kunoichi , a avenger and the hokage's grandson...'

"Okay, you guys are all interesting" Naruto said while fixing his mask. "We'll start our mission's tomorrow..." This of course immediately made Konohamaru salute excitedly and ask what kind of mission. Naruto crossed his arms again as he looked at Team 7. "First We are going to do something with just the four of us. Tomorrow's mission is Survival training"

"Eh? Survival training? Why is that our mission? Sakura asked curiously. "We did enough training in the academy" She continued which Konohamaru nodded to affirm what Sakura just said. Naruto now had a sadistic grin on his face but it was unseen because of his mask. "This isn't like normal training" Naruto replied.

"Then what kind is it?" Konohamaru asked at this statement Naruto began to chuckle lightly then it grew to a full blown laugh which made Team 7 raised an eyebrow as to why Naruto was laughing.

"Hey, What's so funny, Sempai?" Sakura asked clearly not liking the way Naruto was laughing. The blonde jounin continued to laugh before replying to Sakura's question.

"No...well..it's just that when you guys hear this, you're definitely gonna flip" Naruto said earning him confused looks from Team 7. Naruto then leaned closer as he explained what he meant "Out of the twenty seven graduates only nine will be chosen as Genin. The rest will be sent back to the academy" "So this training is the real genin exam with a high failure rate of 66" Naruto watched in amusement at team 7's reaction. "Hey I told you you'd flip" Naruto said giving them a foxy grin althought noone could see it.

"Well anyways tomorrow I'll be grading you on the field. Bring your Shinobi equipment and meet at 5:00 A.M." Naruto said before dismissing the still in shock team 7. Sasuke sat there celnching and unclenching his fist while Konohamaru was shaking. Sakura meanwhile was visibly trying hard not to cry. Naruto turned his head before disappearing. "Oh and prepare yourselves. Your attitudes need adjustment"

The next day at exactly 5 A.M. Team 7 assembled at training field 7. Sakura greeted Sasuke with a sleepy good morning while Konohamaru just stopped in the middle and tried to stay awake. Sasuke meanwhile didn't show any signs of discomfort from waking up early. After 3 hours of waiting Naruto finally arrived clothed in full Jounin uniform, with Zanpaku strapped to his back whiel numerous pouches were around his belt. "Hey guys, Ohayo" Naruto greeted casually raising a hand in greeting

"You're Late!" Sakura and Konohamaru shouted together pointing an accusing finger at Naruto.

"Sorry, someone stole my alarm clock So I had to wait for the store to open and buy a new one!" Naruto replied , saying his apologies at which none of his subordinates were listening to. 'Well at least my excuse was slightly true unlike Kakashi-niisan and his lame excuses' Naruto thought knowing full well what happend to his alarm clock which was now in pieces. Far away in the ANBU HQ a certain captain with a Dog Mask sneezed. 'Someone must be thinking about me' Kakashi thought before resuming the paperwork on his desk.

Naruto then walked over to a tree stump and placed his newly bought alarm clock on top of it. "Okay this is set till 11 a.m." Naruto said as he pulled out two small bells from his pockets and showing it to the three. "Your task for today is to take these two bells from me before noon" Naruto said while ringing the bells once. "If you can't get a bell before 11. I'll tie you up on the three stump then I'll make eat your lunch infront of you"

"Hold on, There are only two bells" Sakura pointed out. Naruto smiled at this although it was hidden by his mask.

"Because there are only two bells one of you will definitely be tied to the post and that person fails. That person will also be sent back to the academy" Naruto said casually before continuing. "It might be one or all three of you sent back to the academy."

"You can even use your shurikens. you won't be able to get it if you don't come at me with killer intent" Naruto said while still holding onto the bells. At this Sakura protested.

"But you'll be in danger, Naruto-sempai" Sakura said while Konohamaru just snickered.

"Yeah...Your also short!" Konohamaru said . laughing rather hard at his joke. Naruto meanwhile now turned serious as he replied to what Konohamaru said.

"In the real world It's often the ones with least talent who are all talk and no action." Naruto replied "So let's ignore the brat Mr. Dobe" Naruto then shifted slightly as he raised his hand to signal for the test to start. Konohamaru meanwhile feeling insulted by the brat and Dobe comment growled in anger as he pulled out a kunai from his holster and charged towards Naruto.

Sasuke and Sakura watched in alarm as Konohamaru charged blindly towards Naruto. A mere second later Konohamaru felt his own kunai being directed at the back of his head, his arm twisted around by a strong grip. Sakura had a shocked look on her face. 'No way! I didn't even see him move' She thought while Sasuke just watched all the while thinking. 'So this is a Jounin...If I defeat him I'll be one step closer to killing Itachi'

"Slow down...I didn't even say start yet" Naruto said as he let go of Konohamaru's arm and push the boy towards Sakura. "Well now that your killer intent has been charged up I guess It's time to start" With a small chuckle he said "Finally some fun well Start!" Naruto yelled out the last part as the three genins immediately disappeared from his sight.

'The basics of being a ninja are erasing your presence and hiding yourself' Naruto thought as he felt suppress chakra signatures that belonged to the members of Team 7. He scanned the area pinpointing each direction where the three were hiding. 'Good their concealed well' Naruto thought when he suddenly saw a smirking Konohamaru standing not far from him.

"Come and Fight me Naruto-niisan, Fight me Rival!" Konohamaru yelled as he grinned proudly at Naruto. Naruto raised an eyebrow at Sandaime's grandson. He coughed as he regained him composure and shrugged. 'Oh well at least I'll be able to have some fun' He thought.

"You're abit off but okay I'll fight you" Naruto said while Konohamaru replied. "The only thing abit off is your height" After saying that Konohamaru charged forward. Naruto slipped his hand on a pouch behind him. Konohamaru immediately slowed down after seeing Naruto's hand slowly disappear inside the pouch. "Ninja fighting lesson number one" Naruto said as he felt the object he was looking for. "I'll teach you about Taijutsu" Naruto said as he pulled out the object.

Naruto now held a small walkman , putting on the earphones he switched the device on instantly filling his ears with music. "What's wrong? Hurry and come at me!"

Konohamaru hesitated while stuttering "Bu..but Hey Hey Why are you listening to music?" Naruto raised an eyebrow then replied.

"Because I want to listen to music. It wouldn't matter with you guys anyways" Naruto said as Konohamaru now truly provoked charged forward yelling out a battle cry. Konohamaru swung his fist at Naruto's head but the young jounin caught his fist easily. Konohamaru quickly dropped to the ground and leaped up sending a roundhouse kick to Naruto. Naruto quickly ducked down evading the kick while listening to the music not even paying attention to Konohamaru's attacks.

Konohamaru quickly threw a punch at Naruto's head but his fist went right thru air. Konohamaru had a puzzled look on his face trying to find where Naruto was. "A Shinobi isn't easily provoked Brat...and a Shinobi doesn't get caught from behind over and over. Idiot" A voice from behind him made Konohamaru stiffen in fear. From their perches Sakura and Sasuke had confused looks on their faces. 'That seal? Tiger Seal? Ninjutsu' Sakura thought as she tried to think up of why Naruto would use a ninjutsu.

Sasuke meanwhile was quite interested in the fight. 'A Katon jutsu at close range? that bastard isn't just playing around' Sakura meanwhile fearing for the safety of the Sandaime's grandson yelled out. "Konohamaru get out of there! You'll get killed!"

"Too late!" Naruto said as he watched Konohamaru turn his head in fear. "Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutsu Supreme Technique!" Naruto yelled out while Sakura and Sasuke flinched at the devastating name of the technique. "A thousand years of pain!" Naruto roared out as he impaled Konohamaru's behind with his hand sending the boy flying into the air , holding onto his ass in pain. Sakura and Sasuke had sweatdrops on their heads after watching what Naruto did to Konohamaru.

"Is all that you got Konohamaru? Come on I know Sarutobi-ojiisan taught you some things better than this" Naruto said as he waited for the Hokage's grandson to get up and fight. "This isn't how my rival should be...perhaps I'll go find another rival" He started walking away towards the opposite direction. Konohamaru gritted his teeth as he forced his body to stand up.

"I am your Rival: Konohamaru yelled as his hands quickly moved intoa handseal. Naruto turned around facing Konohamaru , a small smile on his face. 'Oh? Kage Bunshin?' Naruto thought, his cerulean orbs observing Konohamaru and the five clone's charge towards him. "You're careless Naruto-sensei! I'll show you a technique my grandpa taught me Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!." Naruto had a smile on his face as he too performed the same handseal as Konohamaru.

Sakura meanwhile watched in awe as Konohamaru multiplied into six. 'Six Konohamarus?' She thought as she watch as the Hokage's grandson and his clones charged forward armed with kunais at Naruto. 'What? Those aren't just illusions they're all real?' Naruto meanwhile just shifted to his right as the first clone threw a punch at him, his hand guiding Konohamaru's fist to the ground while his foot sweeped the clone off it's feet. Naruto suddenly felt someone latch onto his back catching him off guard. 'Nani?' He looked back seeing a smirking Konohamaru. "I got you Naruto-sensei! You can't beat me and my clones. My ass is still hurting!"

Sasuke and Sakura watched in amazement as the real Konohamaru leaped into the air and punched Naruto in the face. 'The brat did it!' Sasuke thought when just as Naruto stumbled backwards he disappeared in a puss of smoke. 'Nani? A clone?' Sasuke thought while Konohamaru looked around confused as to where Naruto had gone.

'The Jounin used the same jutsu as Konohamaru then switched with it just as Konohamaru caught him' Sasuke thought as he watch the boy move to pick up a shiny object on the ground.

"Hahaha Idiot must have been so busy with my clones. He dropped a Bell" Konohamaru yelled as he bent down to pick up the bell. Something suuddenly wrapped around his ankle and yanked him up on the tree. "What the hell?" Konohamaru yelled as he dangled up from the tree. 'Sheesh the brat fell for an obvious trap' Sasuke thought , keenly observing Naruto jump down from the tree and pick up the bell. 'but that Jounin , even playing around with Konohamaru as no openings.'

"Oi Konohamaru. haven't you learned anything yet?" Naruto asked while Konohamaru just yelled obsceneties at him. He ignored the boy's protest he raised his hand to shut Konohamaru up before starting his lecture. "Don't fall for obvious traps Idiot." Naruto said looking straight at the struggling Konohamaru. "A shinobi should be able to look underneath the underneath" Naruto raised his hand again to quiet down Konohamaru. "And don't say you know it because you don't"

Sasuke meanwhile finally saw an opening to attack Naruto. With a knowing smirk he threw his kunais and shurikens at Naruto , watching the projectiles slice thru the air towards the blonde jounin. Sakura and Konohamaru had shocked looks on their faces as Naruto fell sideways from the force of Sasuke's projectiles. "Sasuke Thats too much you bastard!"

Sasuke meanwhile growled in frustration as Naruto disappeared leaving behind a log in his place. 'Kuso. He used Kawarimi to dodge and thus made me give away my position!' Sasuke thought as he moved farther backwards to try his luck in getting a bell. Sakura meanwhile had already left her position to find Sasuke. Naruto meanwhile was getting bored already, he had already watch Konohamaru fall into the same trap twice and was waiting for his other two subordinates to come and attack him. 'Okay I'll go test their individual skills then..' Naruto thought as he dash towards the forest where he sense Sasuke's chakra signature.

On his way to test Sasuke , Naruto saw Sakura walking around yelling out Sasuke's name. Naruto shook his head as he quickly snuck up behind Sakura , his chakra signature suppress to a point Sakura didn;t even know what hit her.He tapped Sakura from behind , channeling chakra as he started the jutsu. "Magen:Narakumi no jutsu (Demonic Illusion: Vision of Hell)" With a small smile Naruto went on to search for his final target.

Sakura groggily shook herself feeling abit off. "Nani? What the hell happend? (SHONARO! WHAT THE FCK HAPPEND...WHERE'S SASUKE-KUN)" Sakura looked around , noticing for the first time her surroundings. She turned around hearing a rustling from behind her, she pulled out two kunais from her holster. A familiar voice called out to her , her face lit in happiness as she said the person's name. "Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura ran towards Sasuke when Sasuke suddenly uttered the words that she hated the most. "Sakura...your so annoying...DIE!" With that Sasuke lunged at Sakura the kunai in his hand moving towards her neck. Sakura screamed in terror as she fainted , dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Naruto meanwhile sighed, 'I guess I went too far' He thought as he neared Sasuke's location.

Sasuke meanwhile heard Sakura's scream, alarmed he quickly got his guard up sensing Naruto's presence near him. "Shinobi Lesson Number Two: Genjutsu. Sakura fell for it easily" A voice behind him said accompanied by the ringing of two bells. Sasuke just stood there ,his back turned to Naruto. Naruto leaned against the tree, music blaring from his walkman while looking at the sky.

"I'm not like them" Sasuke said as he faced Naruto, weapons held in his hands. Naruto had a smile behind his mask as he observed Sasuke's stance. 'This should be interesting...' Naruto thought as Sasuke crouched down and let loose a fury of shurikens and kunais. Naruto quickly moved to the side dodging the projectiles. He then turned his head to see that the projectile's target wasn't him but the trigger for the trap. 'Very clever...I see now Why he is this years number one rookie'

'But I was a number one rookie too' Naruto thought as he used some acrobatics to dodge the knives that were released from Sasuke's traps. Sasuke then charged forward to engage Naruto in a Taijutsu match. Sasuke leaped into the air as he sent his right foot towards Naruto's face. The blonde jounin then blocked the kick with his left arm as Sasuke brought his fist towards his face again while he was occupied.

Naruto easily caught Sasuke's fist , now having both hands occupied. Sasuke then smirked as he sent his left foot upward to land a blow to Naruto's head. Alarmed by Sasuke's plan Naruto then brings his arms up blocking Sasuke's kick. He then comes face to face with Sasuke's smirking face when he sees that the uchiha still had a free hand which was not moving towards one of the bells. Naruto smirks as he quickly let's go of Sasuke's foot then places his hand directly infront of the uchiha's face. Just as Sasuke touches one of the bells Naruto uses his finger to send Sasuke flying backwards.

A thud could be heard as Sasuke lands on his feet while nursing his forehead where Naruto used a finger-flick to send Sasuke back. "Well I'd say your Taijutsu is good." Naruto said as he held onto his right hand, Sasuke meanwhile finally got up and started going thru a sequence of handseals. Naruto meanwhile recognizing the handseals , followed Sasuke's example catching up to the Uchiha just as both got to the Tiger seal. Two Large fireballs met in mid air as two voices shouted out the technique. "Katon: Goukakyou no jutsu!"

Elsewhere Sakura finally woke up ,her head having a short headache. She then remembered what happend earlier. 'Sasuke-kun tried to kill me...but..but I'm still alive' She thought as she got up and went to try and find the Uchiha, her mind still under the influence of the genjutsu. Konohamaru meanwhile had finally gotten loose from twenty five of the same traps that he fell to earlier. He had a gleeful look on his face as he spotted the lunches that Naruto had brought for them. "Hehehe I'll eat my share and Sakura's share" Konohamaru said as he began to trek towards the large stone behind the tree stumps.

Back to Sasuke and Naruto...

When the flames ebbed, Sasuke found himself alone while the area around them scorched from the intense heat that occured when the two large fireballs met. 'Damn...he's gone' Sasuke scanned the area looking for Naruto but he didn't find the blonde jounin. Naruto then appears right infront of Sasuke , the ANBU mask seemed more menacing up close. 'Kanashibari no Jutsu'

Sasuke found himself unable to move , his body numb and refusing to move. "What the hell did you do to me! You bastard!" Sasuke yelled out his frustration as he strained his muscles , urging them to move.

"Lesson number three: Ninjutsu" Naruto said as he started walking away , feeling the lunches that he brought for Team 7 was in danger. Sasuke meanwhile was still trying to move , his wrist and ankles starting to ache from being forced to work. 'Damn it...Even if he's my age...there's still a very large difference in skill and strength. he even threw me off with just a flick of his finger' Sasuke thought when he notice a pink haired kunoichi moving towards her.

From the look on Sakura's face , she was pissed, Sasuke tried to think of what would have made her so angry. He was about to ask what was wrong but then Sakura came face to face with him and began to yell. "THERE YOU ARE SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura screeched as she neared the unmoving Uchiha. "What's wrong Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked when she remembered what Sasuke tried to do to her earlier.

"Sasuke-kun as much as I love you...THIS IS REVENGE FOR TRYING TO KILL ME EARLIER!" Sakura yelled , while Sasuke had a confused look on his face. 'What the fck is she talking?' Sasuke thought but his thoughts were halted when Sakura suddenly drew her foot back and ram it into his family jewels. Sasuke's eyes went wide in shock as pain course thru his body , on instinct Sasuke fell to the ground his hands immediately going to his crotch holding it in pain. Too much in pain Sasuke failed to notice that the pain had caused him to be released from Naruto's jutsu.

Sakura then started walking away, to try and let her anger for Sasuke pass by. Meanwhile back to Konohamaru who was no tied up in the tree stump , Naruto sat on the tree stump next to where Konahamaru was tied up. He looked at his alarm clock seeing as it was nearing 11 a.m., He sighed as he quickly jumped off the stump and raced into the forest to collect his two other subordinates. 'Time for the real fun to start...Gonna be fun breaking these two down'

Naruto raced into the forest easily collecting the still in pain Uchiha. 'What the hell happend to him?' Naruto thought as he tied up Sasuke with some wire then began to look for the female member of Team 7. He soon found Sakura watching the tree stump where Konohamaru was tied up. She was so engross at looking for Naruto that she failed to notice Naruto sitting beside her. "Boo" Naruto said suddenly, making Sakura jump up in fright. Without wasting time Naruto dragged the other two to the tree stump and place them against the stumps. Just as Sakura touched the woon the alarm went off signaling the end of the test.

Naruto sat infront of the tree waiting for the two unconscious members of Team 7 to awaken. He just looked at them analyzing and evaluating their abilities from what he had observed earlier. After a few minutes Sasuke and Sakura began to stir , at first they looked around , soon finding themselves at a watchful gaze of Naruto. "Good your awake..Now before you guys eat your lunches..I'm going to give you your evaluation"

The three new graduates immediately perked up after hearing those words. "Well there's no need for you guys to go back to the academy" Naruto said , causing Konohamaru and Sakura to shout in happiness. Sasuke chose not to reply since the pain in his groin was still starting to ebb. 'Huh? All I did was faint...and kick Sasuke-kun in the groin' Sakura thought afterwhich she looked at Sasuke in a apologetic way.

"Then...then..All three of us..!" Konohamaru said excitedly but Naruto finished his sentence for him.

"Yup...all three of you.." Naruto said , his voice turned cold as he said the next words "Should quit as ninjas" This earned him shocked looks from the three members of Team7. Konohamaru quickly started protesting.

"QUIT AS NINJAS? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" Konohamaru asked his voice echoing loudly around the training ground, the shock still evident in his voice."Ok..Ok..So we couldn't get the bells but Why do we have to quit as Ninja's?" Konohamaru asked again this time Sakura nodding her support to their youngest member. Naruto meanwhile had taken off his ANBU mask showing his visage to Team 7 for the first time. Naruto then pulled out his own Hitaite and tied it around his forehead.

"Because all of you...are just punks who don't deserve to be ninjas" Naruto said , his voice still in a cold tone as his cerulean orbs stared directly into the three of them. Sasuke not being able to take it anymore charged forward , a kunai dangerously held in his hand, at Naruto. His two teammates were shocked y Sasuke's actions but they were even more shock when Naruto reacted.

Sasuke only saw a flash of yellow light as he felt his kunai now being pressed behind his back and the cold blade of a sword being pressed against his throat. "This is why you're a punk" Naruto said so coldly. He then removed Zanpaku's blade from Sasuke's throat then push the Uchiha to the ground. Sasuke soon felt wires once again being tied around his wrist and ankles. All the while Naruto ignored Sakura's protest while enjoying their looks of terror.

He then looked up , his cerulean orbs now having only anger , staring straight at Sakura. "Shut up Haruno..I've had enough of your yammering..." Naruto said coldly to Sakura who immediately stopped talking. "Are you three underestimating Ninjas?" Naruto asked getting only shakes from the two infront of him. "Sasuke...your suppose to be this year's Number one rookie"

"That's right Sasuke-kun is Great! He's the number one rookie of the year." Sakura interjected , her voice filled with pride for the Uchiha. Naruto stared at Sakura coldly before retorting.

"And I suppose Enemy Ninjas will drop dead on the ground after hearing that? I will tell you this now...being rookie of the year or dead last doesn't matter in the real world So get that thru your thick skulls" Naruto replied as he began to ask question. "So tell me Sakura...Why is your Hitai'ate being hidden by your hair?" Naruto asked. Sakura just mumbled her answer but Naruto continued. "The Konoha Hitai'ate is a symbol of your growing up to be an adult. Always wear it proudly"

"I also noticed from your introduction yesterday that you are more infatuated with your fellow idiot rather than taking your job as a Kunoichi seriously" Naruto said , Sakura meanwhile was looking down at the ground in the brink of tears. "Get rid of this infatuation and take your job as a Konoha Kunoichi or I'll have you expelled from the Academy."

He then looked down on Sasuke who was silent the whole time , listening intently to Naruto chew out Sakura, silently thanking the blonde jounin for doing him a big favor. "And you Sasuke...Almighty Arrogant Uchiha...Well I'd say screw the Uchiha...forget about being an Uchiha." Naruto started , this cause Sasuke to glare at him in fury. "Don't look at me like that Sasuke because I have something to tell you...Your arrogance is going to be your own downfall...You call yourself a genius?...You can't even pass a simple test with an even more obvious answer" Naruto said as he stood up and looked at the three of them.

"But then the Uchiha's were known to have never heard of the word." Naruto said thoughtfully but then he shook his head as he faced the three of them his face now back to its serious visage. "The answer to the test is Teamwork" Naruto said flatly as he continued. "With teamwork you could have gotten the bells" At this Sakura protested.

"But..but There are only two bells" Sakura replied as she tried to think of what Naruto meant. Naruto just looked at Sakura emotionlessly , sighing in defeat as he replied.

"Your suppose to be smart Sakura...Of course the test was purposely done so you would fight among yourselves but the true purpose is to see if you would be willing enough to forget your own interest to work together." Naruto said as he began to point out their errors. "Sakura you refused to help Konohamaru who was closer than Sasuke." Naruto then looked at Konohamaru. "Konohamaru I'm disappointed in you...after all the things Ebisu and I taught you..You still ran around making a nuisance of yourself...Grow up already...Your grandfather would be shamed if He saw you now." Naruto said in a disappointed voice then looking down. "And you Sasuke...attacking without even knowing the enemy's strength and refusing to ask for help."

"Doing what you did Sasuke would cause trouble for the team putting them in danger...or even killed...for example." Naruto said as he pulled out Zanpaku again , placing it directly over Sasuke's throat. "Sakura kill Konohamaru or Sasuke's head goes rolling" Naruto roared out a threat, making the three of them freeze at what Naruto just said.

"I'll give you guys one more chance after lunch but It'll be tougher to get the bells." Naruto said as he removed Sasuke from the wires and sheath Zanpaku. "Those who wish to challenge may eat lunch...but don't feed Konohamaru" Konohamaru began to protest and ask why he wasn't going to eat. "It's punishment for trying to take food that isn't yours"

After having said that Naruto walked away bringing his own lunch with him. Konohamaru's stomach began to growl as he tried not to look at Sasuke and Sakura eating. Sasuke sighed as he held his lunch at Konohamaru. "Here..Eat" Sasuke said , earning him a surprised look from Sakura. "Sasuke-kun...Sempai just said not to give Konohamaru"

"Don't worry I don't sense him anywhere" Sasuke replied as Konohamaru tried to eat from Sasuke's lunch. "He'll just be in the way if he collapses on us" Sasuke said as Sakura made up her mind and began to feed a smiling Konohamaru. From a distance Naruto had a smile on his face as he quickly teleported infront of Team 7.

"WHAT'S THIS?" Naruto's voice roared as he appeared before them. The three immediately cringe when they saw Naruto's angry expression. "YOU THREE...pass" He said , smiling at them with a foxy grin. Sakura and Konohamaru were laughing , shouting and yelling their happiness while Sasuke asked why.

" A ninja must see underneath the underneath...An ANBU Captain once told me that Those who break the rules and codes in the Shinobi world are trash" Naruto said as he faced his team happily before continuing. "But...Those who don't take care of their comrades are worse than trash."

"Alright that ends our lesson for the day..Starting tomorrow Team 7 will go on it's missions" Naruto said as he watch sakura dance around while Sasuke had a smirk on his face. "But always remember this rule...In my team everyone works...no one gives up or quit...You don't do your job or don't take it seriously...I'll kill you myself" Naruto sid as they began to trek out of the training ground. Konohamaru tried to move but found himself still tied up to the tree stump. "HEy Hey UNTIE ME!" He yelled but the onl reply he heard was.

"Alright team to celebrate..Let's go to Ichiraku for some Ramen My treat!" Konohamaru continued to yell at his teammates.


	3. C to Brank Mission

Later that day Team 8's shouts of celebration could be heard; well Inuzuka Kiba's voice and Akamaru's barks were the only ones could be heard. Team 8 consisting Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba had just passed their genin exam given to them by their jounin sensei Yuuhi Kurenai. "Yahoo! We're genin Akamaru! Time to celebrate." Kiba shouted as he tossed his canine companion up in the air.

Kurenai meanwhile watched with a gleeful look on her face, her crimson orbs glinting with pride at her first team. "Okay team let's go to Ichiraku Ramen...my treat" Kurenai announced earning her yells of joy from the Inuzuka duo while Hyuuga Hinata just squeaked a thank you. Her third student the ever-silent Shino just nodded his head in acknowledgment. Kurenai just shook her head when the Aburame heir didn't even utter a word. 'Great Team...a loud brash Dog-boy, a unconfident Hyuuga Heiress and a silent Bug-Boy' Kurenai thought as the four of them walked along the busy streets of Konoha.

Team 8 arrived at Ichiraku to the sounds Chouji's loud voice calling for another bowl of ramen. Kiba and Akamaru immediately went inside the establishment followed closely behind by Shino and Hinata. Kurenai spotted the already smoking Asuma as she entered the restaurant. She sat beside the bearded jounin, greeting him with a smile. "So you passed your team too?" She asked, Asuma blew out a puff of smoke, casting a glance at his three new subordinates.

"Yes...Meet the new Ino-Shika-Cho Team" Asuma replied, while motioning for the waitress for a bowl of ramen. "I wonder who else passed the Genin Exam...Think Naruto passed Uchiha's team?" Kurenai just shrugged at his question clearly not knowing the outcome of the other test.

Meanwhile with Team 8 and Team 10...

"So you passed as well? Che..This is troublesome" Shikamaru said, while Chouji greeted Kiba with a wave of his hand. Shino silently sat beside Chouji, his glasses covered orbs scanning thru the many flavors of ramen Ichiraku had to offer. Ino quickly sat next to Hinata hoping to strike a conversation with the shy heiress. Shikamaru let out a bored sigh as he started to tune out Kiba's loud voice.

"Who else passed the Genin exam? You think Sasuke's team made it?" Kiba asked curiously, more on the Team's assigned jounin rather than the student. Shikamaru shrugged, as a bowl of ramen was placed infront of him. He mumbled thanks before breaking his chopsticks and began eating.

Ino who heard Kiba's question chose to answer for her lazy teammate. "Of course Sasuke-kun will pass that exam...I bet you he beat their midget Jounin-sensei all by himself..." Ino proclaimed proudly, her eyes dreamily looking up the ceiling imagining herself with the Uchiha survivor.

A soft chuckle escaped Shikamaru and Chouji's lips earning them confused looks from their fellow genin. Ino who didn't like Sasuke being made fun of grew angry and began demanding why they were laughing. "Why Are you two laughing? You think Sasuke can't do it?" Ino shrieked, hoisting both Shikamaru and Chouji by the scruffs of their shirts. Shikamaru's laughing visage immediately returned to its usual bored look. Shikamaru looked at Ino seriously, making the Yamanaka girl release him from her hold.

"Both of us are laughing because you're clearly underestimating Naruto." Shikamaru replied, in a cold voice before turning away from the platinum blonde girl.

"Why do you say that Shikamaru? You know this Naruto character?" Kiba inquired, definitely intrigued by the mysterious short Jounin of Team 7. Shikamaru scooped up the last of his ramen before replying to Kiba's question by nodding his head. Ino and the genins of Team 8 seeing Shikamaru nod his head inched abit closer to hear what the lazy Nara would say.

"Yes I know him. Me and Chouji have known him for 6 years now" Shikamaru replied, casting a short glance at his fellow genins. "He's one of the most reliable person I know. He is also someone who earned my respect." Shikamaru continued, while sensing three familiar chakra signatures and a fourth large and very familiar signature heading towards the restaurant. A small smile formed on his face as he placed a few bills on the counter.

"So how strong is he?" Kiba inquired but Shikamaru ignored his question and tilted his head to the side, facing the new arrivals that just entered the restaurant. Kiba and the rest of the new genins looked pass Shikamaru to get a good look at the new arrivals. the newly formed Team 7 had arrived at Ichiraku to celebrate. Naruto had a small smile behind his ANBU mask, the first team of genin he was going to lead. 'I hope the Old Man is right about this...' Naruto thought as he took his usual seat.

"Yo Old Man my usual and take the orders of my team." Naruto announced as he set Zanpaku beside him, leaning against the counter. Konohamaru and Sasuke took the seat near Naruto while Sakura had gone to sit beside her rival and Team 8's Hinata. The three girls immediately began a conversation, well Ino and Sakura were talking The Hyuuga heiress silently nodded while taking short glances at the short Jounin. A small blush formed on her face as she cast a short glance of admiration at Naruto.

Ino was happily celebrating over the fact that Sasuke had passed the genin exam. "I knew my Sasuke-kun could do it! I knew he could pass the exam" Ino said excitedly. Sakura scowling at her when the words 'My Sasuke-kun' came to her ears. Sakura glared at her for trying to claim her Sasuke but as she was about to tell Ino off. "So what kind of test did your midget of a sensei give you?" Ino asked innocently.

"Don't call him that Ino-pig! And it was a bell test." Sakura replied while ordering a shrimp ramen for herself. Sakura began to tell her rival about the test given to her team. ". and Sasuke attacked me but I guess I fainted..I woke up and found Sasuke standing in a middle of a field twitching...I thought he was just waiting for me to let my guard down." Sakura said, waving her arms around to indicate what she meant. Ino listening intently about to her tale.

After Ino tried to strangle her for kicking Sasuke where the sun doesn't shine, Sakura started to eat her ramen while Ino started her tale about Team 10's test. "I knew Sasuke could pass the test and become a genin, He probably fought your sensei all by himself while you two idiots watched him." Ino said , Sakura meanwhile clenched her chopsticks , trying not to use the utensils to shove it up Ino's throat.

"No...Ino-pig actually the three of us got our behinds kicked badly." Sakura replied as she placed an empty bowl on the counter. Ino had a shocked look on her face when she cast a short glance at Naruto before looking back to Sakura. Ino was shaking her head not believing what Sakura just said. "Yes it's true Ino-pig...Even Sasuke couldn't get a bell."

Meanwhile Kiba who was listening to Konohamaru talk about the exam. "I'm sure I can take him...He's only a few inches taller than Sasuke." Kiba said , Konohamaru and Sasuke nearly choking on their ramen when they heard Kiba's words. The Inuzuka-nin wanted to challenge their sempai, Konohamaru and Sasuke had similar smirks as they watch Kiba walk over to Naruto. Naruto was talking to Shikamaru and Chouji while ordering bowl after bowl of ramen when Kiba sat next to Naruto and challenged him.

"Oi Shorty...I'm Inuzuka Kiba and I challenge you to a fight." Kiba said , staring at Naruto ,trying to intimidate him. Naruto meanwhile looked up and raised his hand at the old man asking for another bowl of ramen. Kiba had an enraged look when the jounin totally ignored him. In the background Konohamaru and Sasuke were snickering at Kiba as if a sign that said Idiot was on top of his head.

Kiba grabbed the bowl of ramen being offered to Naruto and threw it outside the restuarant. noodles and soup flying out , some of it falling on Naruto's head. A growl escaped Naruto as he hoisted Kiba up in the air , his hands holding on to the boy's jacket. "Outside...Now" Naruto manage to say as he dropped Kiba on his ass, Kurenai quickly walked up to Naruto to try and calm him down. Kurenai knew what kind of temper had when it came to Ramen and Shinobis. 'He may be one of the best but he has the temper like Tsunade-hime' Kurenai thought as she tried to plead with the young jounin.

"Kurenai-sempai I know you and I are just new Jounin instructors but that isn't how a Shinobi or a person should act" Naruto said as Kiba placed Akamaru on the ground , looking at him. A small crowd had gathered curious as to what was happening. Knowing she wouldn't be able to persuade Naruto , Kurenai let out a defeated sigh , she then turned to her student. Her foolish student.

"I tried to get out of this mess but you started this...You finish it" Kurenai whispered as she passed Kiba who was looking at Naruto unblinkingly. Naruto stared at Kiba , seething , his fingers touching his weapon of choice. 'Hhmm...I guess I'll just teach him that size doesn't really matter' Naruto thought as he sidestep to the right letting Kiba fly pass him. He then used a finger flick to send Kiba crashing to the ground.

"You attack is clumsy...also your arrogance sickens me" Naruto says , his eyes never leaving Kiba and Akamaru. He then held out a hand , giving Kiba the motion to come and attack. Naruto had his other hand deep in the pouch hanging on his right , his legs ready to spring forward. Kiba meanwhile was currently having a heated discussion with his Ninken Akamaru.

"What you mean try that jutsu? We haven't mastered that yet" Kiba asked almost in panic when Akamaru suggested doing the jutsu. Akamaru growled at him but Kiba tried to change his mind. Akamaru moved towards him , opening his jaw to bite Kiba. "Alright we'll do it your way.." Kiba said as he toss a soldier pill to Akamaru which the pup ate. Naruto watched in fascination as Akamaru's fur turned red and felt an increase in chakra.

"Ready Akamaru?" Kiba inquired as he crouched engaging Shikakyu no Jutsu for himself enhancing his senses of smell. A bark was the reply as Akamaru leaped onto Kiba's back and transformed into a exact copy of the Inuzuka boy. "Juujin Bunshin no Jutsu" Kiba growled out as the two moved in tandem towards a waiting Naruto. Naruto quickly went onto the defensive as the two Inuzuka raced towards his direction.

"Eat this! Akamaru now! Gatsuuga!" Kiba roared out as he and Akamaru increased their speed and began to spin towards the blond Jounin. Naruto meanwhile quickly pulled out his weapon of choice revealing it to everyone. 'Explosive tags?' were everyone's thoughts but only two people recognize the paper material that Naruto held. 'Shit...Not those tags' Shikamaru thought as he grabbed Chouji by the shirt and tried to drag the Akimichi heir inside the restaurant who had already started closing their doors and windows.

Naruto quickly leaped into the air just as Kiba came in close to him. "Wrong move!" Kiba growled out as Akamaru came from above Naruto spinning like a drill. Naruto quickly spun in mid-air waiting for Akamaru to strike. PooF Akamaru connected with Naruto but the jounin had used Kawarimi on the last minute quickly switching places with Kiba. Kiba was now feeling the force of his own attack.

In the background most of the people were watching in awe as Naruto quickly stuck the pieces of paper on both the downed Inuzuka's backs before teleporting inside Ichiraku where Shikamaru , Chouji and the owners of the store watched in horror as the yellowish green colored tag incinerated and started emitting large amounts of smoke.

The people outside Ichiraku quickly found out what the tag was. "STINK GAS!" Kiba shouted out as the strong smell overwhelmed him while holding his nose trying to take the smell out of his nose. Kurenai and Asuma had taken out handkerchiefs and placed them over their nose and mouths. The genins meanwhile quickly followed their example not wanting to get a sample of smell that Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru now sported.

Inside the store Naruto was laughing while Shikamaru and Chouji had amused looks on their faces. The owner and his daughter were shaking their heads while preparing another bowl of ramen for Naruto and Chouji. A noise coming from his ear made Naruto stop in his amusement. He placed a hand over his ear and listened carefully before uttering a word. "Uh Yeah Kakashi-niisan..Team 7 pass...Thanks for dictating to me what to say...Uh huh Yeah Roger that I'll file the report later"

Shikamaru and Chouji had puzzled looks on their faces as to who Naruto was talking to but then quickly resumed their activities when Naruto pulled out a small radio transmitter that looked similar to a walkman. "Never one for long speeches are You Naruto" Shikamaru said after figuring out what Naruto did.

Time Jump Two weeks after the Incident.

Two weeks has passed since Team 7 began it's duties as a team of genins and a short Jounin. Two weeks of degrading D-rank missions , something Naruto thought he would never have to return to but saw no chance of avoiding it. During their first week the three new genins had complained to him about the missions after their training in the afternoon.

Of course Inuzuka Clan Head...mainly Kiba's mom had come screaming at him for the trick he pulled on Kiba and Akamaru. Naruto and the Inuzuka head had to settle the account in the Hokage office where Kurenai and Asuma were witness to the incident. With his Luck of the Gods Naruto came out of that situation unscathed with the only punishment which was help Kurenai train her team. Naruto protested at first but Sandaime had already closed the matter.

Naruto was taken out of his thoughts when Konohamaru along with his teammates stood before him carrying bags of groceries. "Done?" Naruto inquired as he himself took one of the two bags that Konohamaru carried. Team 7 replied by nodding their heads. Naruto then began to lead them towards their client's residence. The team trek from the supermarket to the client's residence in silence , while observing the busy streets of Konoha.

"Ne...Sempai...Are we going to learn any jutsus today?" Sakura asked as she raised her arms abit to make sure her load wouldn't spill. Naruto had a thoughtful look on his face before replying by shaking his head.

"Today we're gonna continue on the Chakra control exercises , since last week we used it as Team exercises and the basic Tree climbing exercise" Naruto replied , just as they reached the client's residence. A shop filled with flowers at the front and a sign that said "Yamanaka Flower Shop" Sakura had protested at this mission but a quick glare from Naruto made her change her mind.

After dropping off the groceries , Naruto lead team 7 back to the training ground since they had finished their quota of Missions for the day. Naruto made it such that they had D-rank missions in the morning and training in the afternoon. To make the missions faster Naruto often joined them in the missions to get the job faster and of course no blunders. On their way there Konohamaru and Sakura would bicker and shoot glares at each other while Sasuke just walked beside Naruto.

Upon arriving at the training ground Naruto then started the team on their physical warm up exercise. Before he let them begin their 5 rounds around Konoha , Naruto took out some bars from a hidden storage set up for weights, He then placed the new bars on each of the members, making them feel heavy with the addition of 10 lbs on each arms and legs.

Naruto quickly joined his team on their run around Konoha after adding his own set of new weights and adding one notch to the gravity jutsu. He stayed behind Sakura to observe her progress while urging her on to move on when she started slowing down. "That's what you get for going on a diet." Naruto spoke as he push Sakura forward while the girl grumbled about maintaining her figure. Konohamaru and Sasuke who were already getting use to running with the additional weights groaned when they heard Sakura grumble , knowing full well what was coming.

Naruto didn't acknowledge Sakura's grumbling as he just pushed the three of them further on. Their exercise which was suppose to only take them 1 and a half hour turned to three since Sakura kept on stumbling and slowing down to catch her breath. Finally after the fifth lap Team 7 returned to their training grounds where the three then began to polish their Tree-Climbing exercises but not before Naruto gave them punishment for grumbling.

"Alright you three...drop like a log...and start with 50" Naruto said , terror could be seen on Sakura's exhausted face. Konohamaru and Sasuke quickly complied by dropping to the ground in position for the push ups ,but then the Hokage's grandson decided to blame the fault on Sakura.

"This is your fault Flat-Chest!" Konohamaru grumbled out as he sent a glare at the pink haired Kunoichi.

"Okay your teammate just earned you another five rounds around the training grounds" Naruto announced as he watch Sasuke groan and waited for Sakura to get into position.

"Nice Work idiot..." Sakura retorted when she suddenly had a horrified look on her face when she saw Naruto's wide grin.

"and That's another 100 pull ups...You gonna keep on going cause I can add some more" Naruto said as he leaned against a tree. "Think of this as a way of getting stronger...Each time any of you start a fight..you get punishment...When You three agreed to be a team that came with the rules...Treat everyone with respect" Naruto spoke while signalling for them to start the punishment.

As one Team 7 began their punishment while Naruto watch them like a hawk. He knew that Sakura would be a problem when it came to stamina that's why he had to remedy that. Sasuke and Konohamaru weren't much of a problem for him since , both were taking their jobs as Shinobi seriously. Sakura on the other hand still didn't take it seriously so Naruto had to tell her that if she wasnt gonna take it seriously, he would demote her back to academy student and then have her expelled.

While waiting for the three of them to finish the small punishment , Naruto decided to practice his own chakra control by ramming a kunai on the ground with it's sharp end facing upward. Naruto then started concentrating chakra on his index finger as he performed a handstand , with a strong push Naruto launched himself upwards. He then used the chakra on his finger to guide him to the point of the kunai. Naruto then poured most of his concentration on the chakra in his finger while constantly adding then releasing it. This made him go up and down while trying to maintain complete control of the chakra he released. (Think Yusuke's training for Rei Gan)

The training only took about 30 minutes as the three members of team 7 finished their punishment. Naruto then made them start their tree climbing exercise. It wasn't a surprise to him that Sakura would be able to finish the exercise quickly. 'She doesn't have much chakra to control so it would be easy for her' Naruto then turned to the other two. Sasuke had made it 1/4 of the distance that Sakura reached while Konohamaru was only 4 feet up the tree.

Naruto watched the three of them for a few hours , well watching Konohamaru and Sasuke get the hang of the tree climbing exercise. Sakura now sat beside him exhausted from running up and down 3 times. "Tired Haruno?" Naruto inquired while still observing Sasuke and Konohamaru's progress. Sakura let out a tired grunt as she tried hard not to fall asleep. Night had fallen and the two remaining members of Team 7 were still climbing , although their pace had slowed down a bit. "Okay that's enough, you can rest now so we can get some sleep." Naruto called out as he sat down , waiting for a few moments , he then heard the sound of two bodies plopping on the ground.

Their training regiment of tree climbing exercises and team formations continued for another week before Naruto finally decided that they would start with the weapons and individual training. So on the first day of their fourth week as a team Naruto took them to a weapons smith to check out the numerous weapons available to a Shinobi. Naruto gleamed with pride as each of Team 7's members picked out a weapon. This weapon smith didn't handle ordinary weaponry. No, this weapon smith created weapons much like the design of the Legendary Raijin Ken. Naruto himself was a fan of the legendary sword, so when Naruto got promoted to Chuunin, Kakashi took him here to have something like the Raijin crafted.

The weapon smith that created the weapons was often made for the user alone, used with a blood seal and ritual performed after the purchasing of the said weapon. Naruto watched as Sasuke picked out a sword called Di Hokousha Day Walker while Konohamaru settled for a staff/pole that shortened and extended using chakra. Sakura unable to decide what was best for her sought out help from Naruto.

The blond Jounin thought long and hard about what suited Sakura the most. he gave Sakura a head to foot observation then a chakra reserve observation. With a satisfied smile Naruto walked over to a small rack and took out two items. He carefully examined the weapons he held before casually throwing it towards Sakura. Sakura caught the objects easily, she looked at the weapon that Naruto tossed to her. Gloves that had small claws protruding from the knuckles.

"Gloves?" Sakura asked but Naruto pointed to the sign on the rack that said 'Retractable claws.' With a happy smile Sakura then joined her teammates as Naruto took each of the genins saved money and then paid for the weapons. After paying for the weapons Naruto took them to the training ground to begin helping them in handling their preferred weapons. Naruto then sent the three of them to different sensei' who knew how to use the weapons to learn basics. So the next two weeks their schedule became 1 or 2 D-rank missions in the morning and training during the whole afternoon. During this time Naruto would just observe and help out his subordinates as they quickly grasped the basics.

Sasuke was trained by Gekkou Hayate in basic swordsmanship , Sakura meanwhile trained under Asuma after the bearded Jounin's missions with Team 10. Sakura didn't want Ino to see her training and taking her job as a Kunoichi seriously. Konohamaru meanwhile just needed to learn how to use his new weapon. The Sarutobi clan were famous for their prowess in using a staff. At an early age before they join the academy Sarutobi children are taught the basics of using the staff.

While his team trained in the basics of handling their weapons or in Konohamaru's case polishing the ability, Naruto uses the time to train on his on and work on a special gift a friend had given him not so long ago. Naruto vigorously trained in activating the gift and being able to use it properly. He trained secretly not wanting anyone to find out that he had such an ability.

Time Jump again to another two weeks

Four dark shadows moved as one thru the forest in pursuit of a fifth smaller shadow. Naruto scanned the area as he took a sniff on the air trying to get a scent on the target. The sent was moving east from him , he pressed a finger on the button on his jacket and began to transmit his message. "Target is moving east , going your way Konohamaru be ready to intercept. Sasuke , Sakura assist Konohamaru in capturing the target and report back to confirm containment" Naruto spoke as he moved east.

Three different voice replied to Naruto's command. "Roger that" Konohamaru replied as he increased his speed as much as the weights allowed him. Sasuke and Sakura quickly moved in to support Konohamaru. A small scuffle could be heard while Naruto waited for Team 7 to report. A few minutes later Sasuke's voice rang out from Naruto's ear piece. "Naruto-sempai...Target is secured"

Team 7 and Naruto quickly exited the forest with Konohamaru leading the way while holding onto a small cage. Inside the cage a harassed looking cat, with a ribbon in it right ear, was shivering at the direction they were heading. Team 7 were heading toward the administration building, with people' eye following their every movement. People 's head were popping from window to look at team 7 proudly walk towards the building. People were actually looking at what they were wearing , which almost matched if not for the different color alterations here and there but one color was common to the team.

Team 7 wore mostly black clothes. Their hair hidden due to the Hitai'ate used as bandanas except for Naruto who wore his ANBU mask while Konoha's symbol tied around his arm. Sasuke wore the same clothes that he wore during his academy days except the color was black and his hair was hidden under his Hitai'ate. Bandages covered his arms and legs although he had no injury. Sakura wore a genin version of a Konoha uniform with out any flak jacket. Konohamaru meanwhile mimicked Naruto's clothes except for the mask and the jounin flak jacket. The weapons that they bought were proudly strapped to them, Sasuke had his sword hanging from his side. Sakura wore the gloves but had the claws retracted. Konohamaru had the staff strapped to his back like Naruto had Zanpaku strapped to his back.

Naruto stood at attention as he presented his report to the Hokage. Sakura giving their client the lost pet they had retrieved. Team 7 had sympathetic looks for the pet as they watched in horror. Madam Shizimi , the wife of the Fire Daimyo and their client, was hugging/strangling her cat in bliss. Everyone in the room except for Madam Shizimi felt sorry for the cat and knew why the feline ran away often.

After getting their paycheck Team 7 stayed behind for their next mission. Sandaime sat in his desk silently reading Team 7's mission stats and casting a short glance at hi grandson pick a small fight with his teammate. Naruto then silenced them by knocking them on the head. "Cough Well Team 7...24 D-rank missions in 2 months and 2 weeks...impressive" Sarutobi started as he let his gaze settle on the blond jounin.

Behind him Team 7 was beaming with pride at the praise the Hokage just gave them, they also cast an admiring look at Naruto which Sarutobi took notice of. "Well team 7 I believe that you are now prepared for higher rank missions." Sarutobi said earning him relieved look from Naruto and huge grins from Team 7 well grins from Sakura and Konohamaru, Sasuke had a smirk on his face.

"As you know Naruto...with the recent success of the bridge built in Wave Country , The trade industry between Konoha and Mist has been opened. As such I would like Team 7 to bring the trade treaty documents to Mist. " Sarutobi announced as Iruka took out a brown scroll and presented it to Naruto. The blonde Jounin opened the scroll before tossing the scroll over to Sasuke. "Your mission duration is three weeks since with You and Team 7 staying in Wave Country for a week." Naruto raised an eyebrow at the last statement.

"Why?" Naruto inquired after silencing Sakura and Konohamaru with a glare. Sasuke meanwhile had already kept the scroll in his pocket.

"Because Naruto...this mission is a double mission for you. A C-rank for Team 7 while a B-rank mission for you. We have reason to believe that 'The Sword' has been spotted in Wave Country. Plus the Wave Country Marshall requested your presence for the Bridge Opening" Sarutobi explained while giving Naruto the documents for the treaty. Naruto nodded in understanding, He then turned to Team 7 , his tone of voice serious as he spoke.

"You three pack two weeks worth of clothing and bring all of your equipment...including your weapons" Naruto ordered as the three member of Team 7 immediately scrambled out of the room to follow Naruto's orders. Sarutobi and Iruka had a smile on their faces as they watch Team 7 move without question to Naruto' orders. "Well I better go home and pack my stuff" Naruto said as he disappeared from Sandaime and Iruka's midst.

Team 7 gathered at the north gate after a few hours of packing. Naruto quickly did a inventory check of the things that Team 7 brought. After doing this they started their journey towards wave country. On the way there Konohamaru was excited about the whole mission asking Naruto questions every five minutes. Naruto then made Konohamaru take point as they started to pick up the paced by increasing their moving speed.

They traveled at a fast rate while Naruto explained to the team what to expect in Wave Country. Team 7 had covered the distance rather quickly as the air soon had the smell of salt water. "Wave Country use to be a poor country and overrun by the Gatou Company. So right now The country should be booming with business in fishing and trading" Naruto said as Team 7 passed by three water puddles. Naruto noticed the strange puddles of water but took no heed to it.

Team 7 quickly picked up their pace by increasing their speed as much as the weights and their luggage would allow. As team 7 disappeared from sight, three forms emerged from the puddles. Their Hitai'ate were that of Ame, with silent nods the three of them rushed towards the unsuspecting Team 7. Kirisame , Hisame and Murasame ,exiled Ame-nins, had gleeful looks on their faces as they raced after Team 7. "Time for us to deal with these trespassers" Kirisame said , his voice filled with sick amusement.

Meanwhile Team 7 had stopped to rest and eat their lunch, Naruto was nowhere to be seen. Sasuke was leaning against a tree , eating a rice ball while Konohamaru sat on the ground , eating a ham sandwich along with a banana while Sakura feasted on her dango. Unbeknownst to them the rain-nins had caught up to them and were waiting for the right time to strike.

Naruto meanwhile hid in the trees , looking at the three rain-nins that were spying on his team. 'Judging from their attire I'd say they're Rain-nins and..Chuunin level' Naruto thought as the three assailants leaped into action. Team 7 immediately took a stance leaving their food unfinished. Naruto decided to watch for a while before jumping in to interfere in the fight.

Sasuke and Konohamaru quickly pulled out Kunais from their holsters to defend themselves. Sakura had 4 shurikens in each hand ready to be thrown at a moments notice. The rain-nins surrounded Team 7 amused by the actions that Team 7 were doing. "Well what do we have here? A bunch of brats pretending to be ninjas" Kirisame spoke while eyeing the three genins before him.

Team 7 chose not to reply as they just slid into fighting stances. No words were said as the Rain-nins began to engage Team 7. Sasuke intercepted an advancing Murasame with his kunai which the rain-nin deflected. Hisame the only female in the group fought with Sakura , completely overpowering the pink haired Kunoichi. Konohamaru faced off with Kirisame in a taijutsu match but Konohamaru , having short arms and legs, was easily thrown towards the trees.

Konohamaru quickly recovered from his impact and continued to engage the rain-nin this time at a distance throwing projectiles at the mocking Rain-nin. Sasuke meanwhile was in a dead-lock with Murasame , neither one of them getting an advantage over the other. Sakura meanwhile had even up the odds by using her brains and small frame to dodge Hisame's Mizu Hoippu (Water Whip).

Noticing that their opponents were taking the fight up a notch , Team 7 started going thru a series of handseals. Almost as if by coincidence the three of them finished at the same time and as one roared out the name of their jutsu. "Katon:Housenka no Jutsu!" Sasuke being the more experience one in using the jutsu launch a fair amount of fireballs towards Murasame.

Kirisame now had a pissed off look on his face when Konohamaru launched 6 fireballs towards him. Konohamaru meanwhile charged forward seeing his chance in landing a hit on Kirisame. Sasuke meanwhile was now back to back with Sakura after being pushed back by Murasame and Hisame into a corner. "Sakura...where's Konohamaru?" Sasuke asked as he parried Murasame's kunai.

"Still fighting their third member" Sakura replied as she quickly ducked evading Hisame's whip and then throwing her kunai towards the rain Kunoichi. 'Where's Naruto-sempai?' Sakura thought when she heard Konohamaru's shout. "Kuso! Konohamaru's in trouble" Sakura reported to Sasuke who had also heard the boy's shout. Sasuke moved towards Konohamaru's direction but Murasame blocked his path.

Konohamaru stumbled back as he tried to escape Kirisame's wrath. The rain-nin had over powered the boy easily and had started to get serious. 'Shit...This is bad...' Konohamaru thought as he rolled to the right evading Kirisame's lunge. Konohamaru quickly scrambled out of Kirisame's way but the Rain-nin was too fast for Konohamaru. The Hokage's grandson stood there frozen in fear as Kirisame lunged towards him in glee with a kunai in hand.

A flash of yellow light appeared infront of Konohamaru as he was sent rolling to the ground. Konohamaru had his eyes shut and was shaking in fear. 'I'm dead' was Konohamaru's thoughts but it was immediately interrupted by a familiar voice. "You alright Konohamaru?" Naruto's voice spoke as the blonde jounin set the boy down on the ground. Konohamaru stared at Naruto in amazement while Sasuke and Sakura joined the two of them a few seconds later.

"Hey you two...protect Konohamaru" Naruto ordered as Murasame and Hisame joined Kirisame's side. Sasuke and Sakura quickly went to Konohamaru's side to see if he was alright. "Who are you and why did you attack my team?" Naruto asked while observing the three nins before him.

"You're trespassing in our lands and we were just having fun" Kirisame replied while Hisame and Murasame stayed silent. Naruto meanwhile didn't bother replying as Murasame followed closely behind by his two comrades. Naruto quickly rushed forward , intercepting Murasame's 14th step by landing an uppercut that sent him crashing backwards.

Sasuke and Sakura meanwhile watched in awe as Naruto fought the rain-nins. Konohamaru as still lost in his own world shivering in fear. Murasame and his fellow rain-nins finally recognized who their opponent was. "Heh...No wonder we're beaten easily on one on one combat...We're fighting non-other than...Konoha's Shinigami Uzumaki Naruto" Murasame said as Hisame and Kirisame got up from the ground and wiped the blood flowing from their lips.

'Konoha's Shinigami?' Sasuke and Sakura's thought were that of curiosity and confusion. "In Konoha there is only one ANBU who carries a large sword and the only ANBU who has that height" Kirisame said , laughing at the blonde Jounin's height. "But that doesn't matter! You four will die in our hands!" Naruto decided he had enough of the short jokes , he waited for Kirisame to speak again. 'Next word you say. you'll be eating my foot' Naruto thought.

"DI-!" Kirisame roared but he never got to finish what he was saying as Naruto disappeared from their midst and reappeared infront of Kirisame. Naruto then shot upwards his fist ignited in flames. "Fushichou Sho Ken! (Phoenix Flight Fist)" Naruto roared as he sent Kirisame flying backwards. He was about to turn to the other two hen whips made out of water wrapped around him. Murasame and Hisame held onto their Mizu Hoippu tightly , smirks were plastered on their faces as they had a triumphant look on their eyes.

"And I thought we would have trouble..." Hisame said as she pulled on the whip. Naruto gritted his teeth as he struggled to escape from the whips tight hold. Murasame and Hisame chuckled evilly while Kirisame came back and punched Naruto as hard as he can. Sasuke and Sakura were immediately on high alert when they saw Naruto captured. Konohamaru had gotten out of his stupor when he saw the three rain-nins capture Naruto.

Kirisame broke from their formation and started towards Team 7. Sasuke took a step forward , letting Sakura guard Konohamaru. Sasuke began to engage Kirisame in a taijutsu battle. All the while Kirisame still had that gleeful look on his face as he parried Sasuke's punches and sent his knee crashing into the Uchiha survivor's stomach. "You're just brats pretending to be Ninjas!...I'll do the three of you a favor and send you off to heaven!" Kirisame yelled as he rammed his elbow into Sasuke's stomach driving the Uchiha into the ground. Sasuke coughed up some blood as Kirisame continued his assault.

Konohamaru not wanting to see a comrade get hurt charges pass Sakura and towards Kirisame. Murasame and Hisame meanwhile watch in delight as Kirisame pick each of the genins one by one. "You disappoint us Shinigami...It seems your reputation as a Shinobi was just a fabrication of lies" Hisame said as she sent a small charge of electricity thru the whip giving Naruto a slight jolt of pain.

Konohamaru was now sprawled on the ground , his Hitai'ate on the ground. "As I said before you're just a bunch of brats pretending to be Ninjas..." Kirisame spoke icily as he stepped on Konohamaru's Hitai'ate. Sakura tried to run to help the boy but Sasuke held her and told her not to interfere. Konohamaru was shaking in fear as he dodged Kirisame's attacks. 'I'm really gonna die here...I can't...I can't move anymore' The boy thought when he suddenly let his eyes settle on his Hitai'ate.

**Flashback**

_A 10 year old Naruto sat beside a 6 year old Konohamaru , a silhouette of Ebisu could be seen in the background twitching. "Jiji gave me that name...Konohamaru...I'm named after the village...but.." Konohamaru said in a sad voice. "No one in the village has ever called me by that name...only. The Third's grandson this The Third Grandson that...I'm sick of it...That's why I want the Hokage name now" A soft chuckle escaped Naruto's lips which then turned to full blown laughter._

_"What? Why are you laughing at me?" Konohamaru yelled as he shook his fist at Naruto. Naruto continued to chuckle before turning his attention to the boy. _

_"Who would acknowledge a brat like you? If you really want to get an awesome name as Hokage...then..." Naruto said his tone had no hint of humor in it only seriousness._

_"Then? Then what?" Konohamaru asked anxiously thirsting for any way to gain the Hokage name. _

_"Then...you'll have to kick my ass first!" Naruto said a feral grin could be seen on his face, a dangerous look that often made his targets want to crawl under a rock. "If you really want an incredible name like Hokage that all people will acknowledge...then. prepare yourself.." Naruto said giving Konohamaru a small smile. _

_"Prepare? Prepare for what?" Konohamaru inquired not really understanding what Naruto meant. _

_"When you graduate from the academy...and have your own Hitai'ate...Always wear it proudly where everyone can see it. The Hitai'ate is the symbol of your growing up and a sign of you as an adult" Naruto said while leaning against a tree._

_"There aren't...going to be shortcuts Konohamaru remember that...There is no shortcut to being Hokage or gaining strength." Naruto said as he started walking out of the clearing. "Until next time Konohamaru...Maybe one day...I'll fight you for that Hokage name...It's a promise of a lifetime" were Naruto's words as he disappeared leaving the small boy looking at him in awe and admiration._

**Flashback Ends**

'That's right...I still have something to do...I still have a goal to fulfill' Konohamaru thought as he quickly dodged Kirisame's kick and scrambled out of the way. 'I won't need to be save anymore...I swear on the leaf symbol That I will have everyone acknowledge me!' Konohamaru thought as he stood up , Sasuke and Sakura quickly moving to his side. "Are you alright Konohamaru?" Sasuke inquired while not letting his onyx orbs leave Kirisame.

"Sasuke! Take the team and go back to the village!" Naruto shouted out but his cries earned him two more electric shocks. "Shut up you. and let Kirisame have his fun.." Murasame said while Naruto gritted his teeth falling silent immediately. 'When I get out of here...' Naruto thought when sudden movement caught his attention. 'Idiot!' Naruto thought as he watch Konohamaru roar out a battle cry and charge forward Kirisame.

Sasuke and Sakura ere too late to try and stop their teammate from charging forward. They watched in horror as Kirisame kick Konohamaru backwards to where he started before. Sakura meanwhile saw something in Konohamaru's hand. 'his Hitai'ate?' Sakura thought when Konohamaru spoke out. "You guys...I have a plan" Konohamaru said but Naruto once again urged them to flee the scene.

"It's too late for that sempai...and You said so yourself. Those who break the rules are trash but those who don't take care of their teammates are worse than trash." Sasuke replied as he inched closer to Konohamaru to listen to the boy's plan. Sakura meanwhile was amazed at Konohamaru seeing as the boy just created a plan in a situation like this.

"Why don't you follow what Shinigami said and run away" Kirisame spoke when Team 7 suddenly charged forward. With Konohamaru in the lead Sasuke pulled out a folded object from his pack while Sakura took out shurikens from her holster. "Fuuma Shuriken" Sasuke called out as he threw the shuriken towards Kirisame. Sakura followed Sasuke's example by throwing her own shurikens towards Kirisame.

Konohamaru meanwhile had finished the handseals he was going thru. "Ninpou: Konoha Kiri Shuriken! Leaf Cutter Shurikens" Konohamaru called out as the fallen leaves from the trees started to float in the air and start to spin towards Kirisame. Kirisame quickly caught the Fuuma Shuriken but a second shuriken hidden emerged from it's shadow and sliced thru the air towards Kirisame. 'Damn..a Kage Fuusha' Kirisame thought as he jumped over the shuriken and caught some of Sakura's shurikens.

Murasame and Hisame meanwhile with their hands occupied in holding onto their whips weren't so lucky as numerous leaves sliced thru the air cutting them. Kirisame retaliated quickly but he forgot that he was dealing with three genins. Kirisame ran right into Team 7's trap as the three genins surrounded him. Each of them once again finished on the last handseal but different starting handseal at the same time calling out the jutsus to an oblivious Kirisame.

"Kirisame you Fool look out!" Hisame shouted as she tried to send another electric shock to stop Naruto from escaping.

"It's abit late for that..." Naruto spoke as Hisame watched Kirisame fall victim to a Katon:Goukakyou no jutsu from Sasuke. A Katon:Housenka from Sakura and a Katon: Ryuuka from Konohamaru. Hisame angered by Kirisame's defeat set a huge electric shock towards Naruto but she then suddenly realized something as different. She turned to Murasame and to her horror Murasame had let go of the whip which had been frozen. A sharp pain coursed thru her hand when she suddenly realized that her whip had turned to ice and had needle like spikes sticking into her hand.

Both Hisame and Murasame quickly regrouped with a very beaten up and burned Kirisame. Naruto meanwhile joined his team congratulating them in growing up and proving to be true Shinobis. Naruto quickly told Team 7 to rest as he pulled out Zanpaku from his sheath ready to finish of the three Rain-nins. The three Rain-nins stood their ground when 20 umbrellas suddenly appeared in the sky. It started to spin as needles began to pour out from it.

'Kuso!' Naruto cursed as he used Zanpaku to deflect most of the needles. He glanced back to Team 7 who had gotten up and followed Naruto's example in deflecting the thin projectiles. Zanpaku's blade spun like a fan creating a vortex as it sliced the needles to pieces. As this went on Naruto could now see that were outnumbered by 3 to 1. There were about twenty Rain-nins that had began to attack. As the rain-nins began to appear a thick mist had began to roll in the area.

"The three of you don't let anything happen to the scroll and...protect yourselves" Naruto said as he deflected the last of the needles before performing a familiar handseal. "Tajyuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto roared out as 50 clones appeared into existence, with a large battle cry Naruto sent his clones to engage the Rain-nins. The battle suddenly stopped as the leader of the Rain-nins stepped into the battle field.

Naruto instantly recognized the individual standing opposite to him. Surrounded by an army of rain-nins and having a smug look on his face. In his hand a swords hilt could be seen, the man had a triumphant look on his face. "The famous Konoha's Shinigami...striking fear in the hearts of missing-nins" the leader spoke as he put pressure on the handle , a blade made out of yellow lightning emerged from the hilt.

"Rokushou Aoi" Naruto said as he swung his sword in the missing-nin's direction. Aoi saw the large sword that Naruto carried before laughing hysterically. Aoi waved the Raijin ken as if to taunt Naruto before turning back to the men behind him. He then turned back to Naruto to insult the boy once more.

"Oh please Don't make me laugh brat! Your still a brat and are no match for my army!...You may have killed my brother Mizuki but this time I came prepared" Aoi spoke his voice filled with hatred and anger.

"Kill them and leave no trace behind" Aoi commanded as he disappeared behind the sea of rain-nins. Naruto charged after the missing-nin only to meet the Rain-nins.

"Come back here you Coward!" Naruto roared as he evaded some of the Rain-nins attacks while going on the offensive striking and slashing opponents in half. With every rain-nin sliced in half a white like ghost would fly up in the air screaming. Most of the rain-nins that had attacked Naruto were terrified at the strange occurrence. Naruto's clones were also engaging the rain-nins that were up trees.

"Shinigami Ryu: ChiShio Ni Shichiyou no Mai! ( Death God style: Dance of the Blood Red Moon)" Naruto roared out as five different Naruto's fanned out slicing thru a number of the rain-nins. Screams filled the air as one by one Rain-nin's souls were released by Naruto's sword.

Sasuke , Sakura and Konohamaru were caught in a corner defending themselves using their weapons and jutsus. Due to their recent battle Team 7 was slowly wearing down. None of the combatants noticed the mist that had rolled in the area almost completely covering the whole area.

Naruto panted as he kept on slicing thru the enemies to get to Aoi. 'There's too many of them' Naruto thought as he quickly ducked down narrowly evading a slice from a Rain-nin. It as then that he noticed the mist that was in the area. 'Mist?' Naruto thought as he tied to figure out what was mist doing here. A sharp pain on his shoulder made brought the blonde Jounin back from his thoughts. A rain-nin had used his distraction to strike Naruto. 'crap' Naruto thought as chakra depletion and exhaustion began to kick in along with the injury.

"Suiton:Daibakufu no Jutsu!" A voice called out as a large amount of water exploded into the area driving back the rain-nins. Naruto seeing his chance he quickly performed a series of handseals before slamming it to the ground.

"Doton: Doryuudan Nadare no Jutsu! ( Earth Element: Earth Dragon Blast Avalanche Skill)" Naruto whispered as a huge mass of earth rose from the ground and covered the remaining rain-nins.

Sasuke , Sakura and Konohamaru sighed in relief as two unknown Shinobi's appeared out of no where and began engaging the Rain-nins that were attacking them. The two rescuers were linked together by a long spiked chain which the two used to tear thru the Rain-nins defenses and shred them to pieces. After most of their assailants had fled, Team 7 followed by their rescuers moved thru the sea of sliced bodies to find Naruto.

Naruto sat on the ground panting as he released the technique. Behind him a large man stood watching the destruction that the young Jounin just caused. Team 7 arrived just in time to see Naruto finish the rest of the rain-nins. "Yo! Good job Team" Naruto said in a tired voice. 'Kami-sama i need to rest.' Naruto thought while Kyuubi growled in his head for his earlier mistake.

Team 7 quickly surrounded their comrade unsure if their rescuers were hostile or friendly but Naruto put that to rest when he spoke again. "Nice to see you...again...Momochi Zabuza.." Naruto said as he fell to the ground unconscious. The last thing Naruto saw was Team 7 surrounding him , their faces filled with worry.

"Don't worry...Naruto is just exhausted from the battle and ran out of chakra" Zabuza said , trying to reassure Team 7. He gave them a small smile as he picked up Naruto after using all his strength to put Zanpaku back in it's sheath. he then started to walk towards the village followed by the Demon Brothers. "Follow me...You look like you need rest"

Team 7 didn't argue with Zabuza and just quietly followed the eyebrow less man and his followers. Zabuza wore a vest much like Naruto wore except it was open showing his upper torso. Team 7 was worried about Naruto since the Jounin had passed out after charging into the sea of enemies cutting thru them with his large sword. One thing ran thru their minds though. 'Who was Momochi Zabuza and why did Naruto-sempai know him. Also They had seen the Raijin sword. The Legendary sword of the Nidame'

One last thing troubled their minds...'Why was Naruto called Konoha's Shinigami..'


	4. Return of the Slug

Naruto opened his cerulean orbs , his ears picking up the sounds of growling. He cautiously got up noticing that the ground he as lying on was wet. He squinted his eyes trying to adjust to the dim lighting of the room. Again a large growling echoed thru the damped tunnel. 'Great I'm still unconscious' The blond Jounin thought as he started towards the source of the growls.

Still disoriented Naruto stumbled his way towards Kyuubi's chambers where the great fox waited his arrival. As he walked towards Kyuubi's chambers he passed by a ice covered door. He passed the door not even wondering why it was made out of ice in the first place. "**Hurry Up NARUTO I haven't got all day**!" Kyuubi roared his patience thinning as the boy known as 'Konoha's Shinigami' finally arrived in the Kyuubi's chambers.

"**Finally...you arrive...Sure took your time you stupid brat**!" Kyuubi growled as his tails cracked like whip against the bars of his prison. The sound echoed around the great chamber making Naruto winced in pain. "**Nice job activating the blood's powers Naruto! You sure know how to fight**!" Kyuubi continued while Naruto just tried to block Kyuubi's ranting.

"Oh Shut up Fox! It's not like I meant to forget deactivating the powers" Naruto replied while stretching his body. "The situation was getting for the worse...You think I planned on pouring my chakra into the ability?" Naruto continued while Kyuubi just grunted in annoyance. "This wouldn't have happend if you just gave me your chakra to keep me going!"

"**Well next time you want to experiment in using unknown powers. Leave me out of it**!" Kyuubi retorted. "**Plus I'm still trying to take out the last of the poison in your body You Idiot...I won't always be here to heal you Naruto So next time stop holding back!. All that skill and strength you gained over the years training with those two white haired perverts**!" Kyuubi continued his rant seeing as Naruto still hasn't yelled at him yet for being so loud.

"I agree with Kyuubi on this one...Naruto-sama" A new voice came from behind Naruto. Naruto turned to see a black clad figure standing at the entrance of Kyuubi's chambers. The black clad figure had wild spiked raven hair and piercing cold onyx eyes, the figure wore mostly black almost fitting clothes. "You used an untested power on a battle which would have been finished if you had stucked to using your own power"

"See Naruto...even the Shinigami's kitchen knife agrees with me" Kyuubi replied earning him an enraged Zanpaku. Naruto ignored the two for a few minutes as he tried to recollect what had happend earlier. In the background Kyuubi and the entity that the great fox called Shinigami's kitchen knife argued and bickered.

"You want a Fight you stupid fur ball?" The figure called out shaking his fist at the caged demon. Kyuubi in retaliation swung his tails at the bars causing small tremors to course thru the gigantic chamber. The figure strode closer to the Demon's cage making the demon retreat further back into the enclosed space. "I thought so...Your afraid...of me Kyuubi..."

"**I'm more afraid of where you came from Knife**!" Kyuubi roared red chakra leaking out of the bars which immediately went to Naruto mixing with him. "**I'm more afraid...of the one that wielded you before Naruto**" Kyuubi snarled thru clenched teeth.

"Zanpaku...Kyuubi...Enough..." Naruto hissed in anger as the chakra began to decapitate into his own chakra system. The boy turned to both entities before him , one cloaked in midnight black while the other sealed inside a cage with only a piece of paper that held it from escaping. Both entities with him inside his head immediately fell silent. "So how did you shut off the blood's powers?" Naruto asked as the boy sat down facing the two.

Zanpaku was the first to reply as he motioned for Naruto to follow him. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the caged demon before following the Dagger of the Death God known to him as Zanpaku. Both of them silently glided thru the many corridors within Naruto's mind until they reached the Ice covered chamber. "Eh? What's this Zanpaku?" Naruto inquired as his hand touched the ice noticing that it wasn't freezing cold.

"That Naruto-sama is where the blood's powers are kept...well switch off...it immediately switched off just as it took a huge chunk of your chakra for what purpose I do not know. The bloods powers seem to have a mind of it's own or a sentient being so to speak" Zanpaku explained when a hissing sound suddenly reached both their ears. Naruto raised an eyebrow as he set his gaze at Zanpaku's dark form. Zanpaku shrugged showing he was as puzzled as Naruto. "I don't have any idea what is happening Naruto-sama."

"Okay I'll just check it out then" Naruto said as he took a step forward half of his body disappearing into frozen chamber. Zanpaku followed Naruto closely but when he entered the room he got blasted backwards sending him crashing into a wall. "Eh? What the..." Naruto started but his words were muffled as the ice chamber's doors closed shut ,keeping him inside to face the entity inside.

Meanwhile in the real world...

Team 7 huddled around Naruto's unconscious form while Tazuna and Zabuza discussed in private about the situation. Inari , Tazuna's grandson, sat beside Naruto's bed looking at the young Jounin with worry. Tsunami and Tazuna sat at the dining table while Zabuza leaned against the wall, his eyes close making his facial features in a pensive manner. The Demon brothers were not present since the former Mist Nuke-nin had ordered the two to scavenge for weapons and materials from the buried Rain-nins.

Zabuza with his patience running thin , moved towards the next room for a little chat with Team 7. "Inari-san...Not to be rude or anything but I have something to discuss with Naruto's comrades" Zabuza explained as he entered the room. Team 7 gave Zabuza curious looks while Inari just nodded and left the room after waving a bye to Konohamaru.

"Your probably wondering what I want to talk about...well listen first before asking questions" Zabuza started as the door closed. All eyes were on him as he sat down , the metallic clang of his arm resting against the table surface echoed around the room. He flexed his right arm letting out a small bit of steam. "Special arm made from Snow Country...an Arm made out of a special alloy that uses chakra and blood. This arm is connected to me as if it were my real arm." Zabuza said seeing as the three genins were looking at the silver blue arm.

"My arm was torn off by Naruto-kun's blade in our last fight..." Zabuza explained further as he showed Team 7 an example of what the arm could do. Water particles in the air started to take form in Zabuza's hand. "And this is the power that was given to me by my late apprentice and adopted son...Haku...My boy died protecting both me and Naruto..." Zabuza continued as flashes of memories returned to him.

Flashback

A Trio of ANBU stood in a delta formation while being surrounded by dozens of mercenaries. In the center of the three ANBU were three other bodies , The Nukenin Momochi Zabuza his right arm almost completely torn off with only a few tendons attaching it to the body. Haku , Zabuza's apprentice who was now bloodied and had a hole on his right pectoral and finally Uzumaki Naruto who had numerous needles sticking out of him and a small shard of ice sticking thru his chest.

Not far from the hordes of mercenaries stood Gatou the tyrant businessman. He had a cruel grin on his face as he watched his lackeys close in on the tiring Shinobi. Kakashi meanwhile held onto his father's sword the white chakra blade glowing menacingly at any approaching mercenary. Behind him the team medic tried to heal the injured but Haku spoke thru heavy breathes.

Haku held onto Zabuza's hand tightly while he desperately tried to shift his broken body towards his precious person. Haku was finally able to turn his head facing the Medic ANBU. "Please...give some of my blood to Zabuza-san...and cough transplant cough my heart to the boy I fought..." Haku said as he clung to life desperately. Haku's wounds were already severe as Kakashi's Raikiri pierced thru his left pectoral narrowly missing his heart.

Before the Medic ANBU could start with the quick transplant and transfusion, Haku and Zabuza shared one last father to son conversation. "Zabuza-san...I'm sorry for being weak..." Haku spoke ,each time his breathing becoming more heavy. Zabuza just held onto Haku's hand tightly before replying that it didn't really matter is he was weak. "You're like a son to me..." Zabuza said as he tried to hug the boy one last time. The Medic immediately began working on the transfusion of Haku's blood to Zabuza.

The transfusion was quick as the ANBU immediately went to Naruto transplanting half of Haku's heart to the young boy. As this was occurring, Kyuubi worked on fixing and healing Naruto just as the transplant finished, Haku's heart quickly intertwined with Naruto's heart becoming part of him. The medic was quite surprise when Naruto's wound healed after she transplanted the heart. Tears rolled down Zabuza's eyes as Haku's last breathe escaped his lips. The Medic felt sorry for Zabuza's lost but a grunt from Kakashi broke her thoughts.

Kakashi and the other ANBU were feeling hard pressed as more mercenaries came to try and subdue them. Kakashi was already running low on chakra from using the chakra blade and jutsus to incapacity the mercenaries. Kakashi swung the chakra blade in an arc sending a large white fang shape to cut thru the advancing mercenaries.

"You stupid Shinobis are outnumbered! Even that so called Devil of the mist can't help you now!" Gatou sneered as he snapped his fingers signaling his mercenaries that consisted of samurais and thugs to charge forward.

Kakashi and his tiring partner popped two soldier pills into their mouths as the onslaught of mercenaries closed in on them. Just as the two ANBU sliced three samurais in half. A large pillar of red chakra rose from behind them, a eerie killer intent sweeping across the room. Some of the weaker thugs and samurais collapsed under the pressure of the killer intent , eye wide in surprise and fear. Gatou started sweating when the sudden red pillar shot out from behind the Shinobis.

"You..will pay...for this" a dark voice escaped from within the red pillar. A silhouette of a black clad figure hovered over the blond ANBU as the killer intent continued to radiate inside the room, more of the weakening mercenaries falling on their knees , trembling in fear at the pressure encircling around the large warehouse. Kakashi and his team moved back not even curious as to what Naruto meant. Having been a part of raising Yondaime's legacy Kakashi knew what Naruto was feeling.

The sole Uzumaki member was pissed off and combined with the Kyuubi's rage , Kakashi quickly ordered the rest of his team to get out of the warehouse as he carefully hoisted Zabuza's unconscious form. His team complied leaving behind Gatou at the mercy of a berzerked and pissed off Naruto. Kakashi and his team waited outside as screams of the mercenaries trapped inside rang out from the shattered windows.

Naruto in that enraged looked along with the manifestation of the entity that was Naruto's sword. Naruto seemed like the Death God himself wielding the strange artifact that had fallen after Yondaime sealed Kyuubi in his son. At first the large sword took the form of a small dagger but as Naruto gained his strength over the years. The sword took its large shape when Naruto joined ANBU surprising the Hokage and the ANBU commander Hatake Kakashi when the issue katana was replaced by the weapon.

Zabuza woke up from that fight outside of the warehouse just as Naruto exited the large building soaked in blood. Zabuza wept when the medic presented him with Haku's lifeless body. The ANBU team and along with Zabuza buried Haku's body under the unfinished bridge. Zabuza placing his sword the Kubikiri Houchou infront of Haku's grave hanging from the hilt was Haku's broken Hunter-nin mask.

End of Flashback

Zabuza wiped away a tear that was starting to fall from his face, Team 7 stayed silent after listening to what happend to Zabuza. "The Trade treaty will happen in one weeks time...This is also the start of the Wave Festival. The Water Country Daimyo is sending his daughter Sui Ling-hime for the beauty pageant scheduled on that day. " Zabuza explained while filling a glass of water from the pitcher on the table. Silence was what Zabuza got from Team 7, he drained the glass of water before continuing with his explanation.

"Sui Ling-hime will be arriving tomorrow with her escorts and her bodyguard...In preparation for the pageant...The Rain-nin you encountered on your way here is a Leaf-nin traitor Rokushou Aoi...I believe his target will be the Treaty and the Princess...during the pageant" Zabuza explained , earning him nodding heads from the three genins. "I would like to offer my help to you since Naruto-kun hasn't awakened yet...During the preparation week...I will train you unlike a leaf-nin way...but knowing that your Team leader is Naruto...I would expect that he has disciplined you"

"You trying to take away my comrades from me Zabuza?" A voice in between Team 7 spoke up as a mess of blonde hair slowly got his upper torso up. Zabuza and Team 7 turned to the source of the voice. Naruto struggled to stand up but due to his still healing state He couldn't get up yet. "Stay still Naruto you need to rest... Invoking the Blood's powers takes a toll on you..." Zabuza said , his voice filled with worry.

"I'll be fine Zabuza-san..." Naruto replied as he got up wobbly at first but after regaining his balance, the blonde jounin began collecting his weaponry and other things. After all his things were on his body he then turned his head to Team 7. "Oi you three what are you doing? Form outside In 5 Seconds...Move!" Naruto ordered which caused the surprise Team 7 to quickly comply else they felt the wrath of Naruto's punishments.

Naruto and Zabuza followed behind Team 7 out the door but not before Naruto stopped in the kitchen to greet the owner of the house. "Hi Old man! Tsunami-neechan...Inari!" Naruto greeted as he exited thru the kitchen door. Zabuza following closely behind. Team 7 stood at attention outside the house waiting for Naruto's orders.

"Alright Team...Since our good friend Zabuza-san has offered his help in training...I would accept his offer on one condition" Naruto started , turning to the masked sheriff of the Wave country. Zabuza had a invisible eyebrow raised trying to ask what the condition was. "Within the one week you're going to train my team...I want you to hold nothing back...By the end of the week I want Sakura to have her chakra reserves raised...and to be able to at least use the special jutsu we worked together thrice" Naruto said.

Zabuza nodded and listened closely to what Naruto had to say next. "I want Konohamaru to be at least sufficient in silent combat...and Sasuke to be able to use the Sharingan..." Naruto said while Zabuza had a shocked look on his face eyeing the silent Uchiha. Naruto nodded before speaking to confirm what Zabuza was thinking. "Yes Zabuza-san...Sasuke is part of the Uchiha clan well the last of the Uchiha's in Konoha."

"While you train them in your way...I'm going to train ..." Naruto spoke as he followed Zabuza who was leading Team 7 to a nearby lake. Naruto quickly separated from his team , finding a large clearing for him to train in for the next seven days. Naruto stood at the center of the clearing, his breathing calm and collective as a squad of shadow clones appeared surrounding the blonde Jounin.

Kage Bunshin... A technique that Naruto often used and practiced to a point that he didn't need to shout out the technique like any other Shinobis. Naruto often used Kage Bunshin since he learned from Jiraiya and Kakashi that this was once a favorite of the Yondaime's. Naruto although being trained under Jiraiya and Kakashi only knew two of Yondaime's techniques. The Rasengan and Shunpo or Warp Step as Jiraiya called it. When Naruto asked that he wanted to learn Shunshin and Hiraishin no Jutsu, Jiraiya just shook his head saying learn to walk before running. Instead Jiraiya gave him the scroll which contained Shunpo (Warp Step or Instant Step) before leaving for his mission . A starting technique for Hiraishin and Shunshin(God of Flash) since Shunpa only used short distances(80 meters Maximum distance for Shunpa) while Hiraishin no Jutsu and Shunshin were a time and space technique.

Hiraishin no Jutsu required for the user to cast a Jutsu-Shiki on a target for the jutsu to be successful while Shunshin did not require such things. Naruto opted to learn both techniques although Jiraiya had warned him that the techniques would often bring much stress to the body.

Naruto had a small smile on his face when he mastered Rasengan...and could perform Shunpo without passing out. After learning the two starting techniques from Jiraiya and Kakashi, Naruto practiced everyday to try and incorporate the two techniques into his fighting style. Kakashi once told him that Shunshin and Hiraishin no Jutsu made the Yondaime famous as Konoha's Yellow Flash. Inwardly Naruto grinned at the prospect of getting his own legendary name.

'Konoha's Shinigami...' Naruto thought as he let his instincts start to go wild and let his mind move to its battle trance. 'Konoha's Shunshin sounds kind of cool...Heh I'll have to use Shunpo often and get Ero-tousan to teach me Shunshin..' Naruto thought as he blocked an incoming fist from a clone as the clones all at once started attacking. Naruto had a small smile on his face as he increased his speed, quickly disappearing to any untrained eye. The clones roared out a battle cry as they too went into high speeds to catch up to the original Naruto.

Meanwhile Zabuza started his training on the three genins of Team 7. "Alright you three...Show me what you got" Zabuza said as he held out his metallic arm , water particles in the air gathering in his hand as he created a water replica of Kubikiri Houchou. 'Amazing' were the thoughts of the three genins as they themselves pulled out their own weapons. Sasuke ignited his sword's chakra blade, Konohamaru held onto his staff casually while Sakura crouched low on the ground hands held behind her back.

"Come..." Zabuza taunted as he held the water blade loosely in his hand. Without warning Team 7 rushed at him with their weapons. "Konoha Ryu: Mikatsuki no Mai!" Sasuke roared out as distorted illusions of himself separated from his body. Zabuza watched in amusement as the illusions and real Sasuke came at him. "With your level..You can't beat me with that technique yet" Zabuza said as he parried Sasuke's initial strike and followed thru by kicking Sasuke away from him.

Konohamaru appeared above Zabuza with his staff spinning wildly over his head. "Sarutobi Ryu:The Ape kings Temper!" Konohamaru roared as numerous wild and unpredictable strikes came Zabuza's way. Zabuza not to disappoint on the deal with Naruto, showed his own style. "Kiri Ryu:SuiRyuu Kiri Mist style: Water Dragon Cutter." Both attacks clashed into each other with Zabuza ,having the more experience, pushed Konohamaru back.

Out of nowhere Sakura and Sasuke swooped in to support their teammate's attack. "SHONNARO! SenbonSakura Renda! (Thousand Cherry Blossom Barrage)" Sakura called out letting loose the fury of her inner personality. With Sakura using her inner personality's wild and insane fury to attack. Zabuza tried to desperately block all the wild strikes Sakura sent his way. Two close strikes almost cost Zabuza his family jewels when Sakura's clawed swipe came too close for comfort.

Zabuza was now being hard-pressed with all three genins attacking , keeping him from even making a single hand seal. 'Well Naruto I got to hand to you...These genins got a rank A on Teamwork and individually they're good.' Zabuza thought as he called for a halt. Team 7 stopped at once , sweat dripping from their clothes. "You three...are quite good...Tomorrow after we meet the princess we will start on Water walking and individual growth"

Team 7 left with Zabuza following closely behind them towards where Naruto was training. When they arrived at the clearing ,the whole area was in total disarray. The squad of Kage Bunshin Naruto summoned were down to two , craters decorated the clearing with smoke rising from those craters. Zabuza blinked when they saw the damage that Naruto had cause. Just as they blinked a second time, the clones fell backwards disappearing upon touching the ground. Naruto now stood , where the clones were, at a defensive stance , Zanpaku raised slightly above chest level.

"Amazing...I didn't even see him move." were Team 7 and Zabuza's thoughts but it was broken off when Naruto turned to them with a smile. "Don't ask how I did it..and I'm not going to teach it to you..." Naruto said , his last statement directed to both Sasuke and Konohamaru.

"But why Sempai?" Sasuke inquired , he was interested in the technique that Naruto just performed. Naruto tapped his stomach then his head , making it his explanation. Team 7 sort of knew that Naruto was Yondaime's son but that was it. They still had no idea that Naruto was also Konoha's Demon Vessel. "Bloodline limit?" Sasuke asked again but Naruto just shook his head. "No its just something that my Father left me...My dream is to surpass him after all"

Sasuke left it at that, he had not forgotten about his ambition in resurrecting his clan but Naruto's words kept coming back to him whenever he thought about Itachi. _"Forget about Itachi...Forget about surpassing Itachi..instead focus on surpassing yourself...and then surpass at least one sannin." Sasuke raised an eyebrow as to why would Naruto want him to surpass himself then the sannin. 'To beat Itachi you have to surpass your own limits...and surpass at least the weakest of the Legendary three"_

_'Tsunade-hime?" Sasuke inquired but Naruto shook his head and replied. "No not Tsunade-hime..surpass Orochimaru..." Sasuke was quite puzzled at this since Orochimaru was said to be the strongest of the three._

So now each of Team 7 had a goal to achieve , Konohamaru's was to be acknowledge same as Naruto. Sasuke's ambition was put aside in order for him to grow. Sasuke's rather cold exterior was broken when Team 7 started its missions. Naruto made sure of that. Sakura's goal was to at least be a good Kunoichi who serves her village with pride. Naruto shrugged at that goal seeing as it was ordinary but still a goal. Naruto respected Sakura for that.

For the next seven days Team 7 trained with Zabuza in the afternoons while they kept watched over the princess. Their first meeting with the princess was an ordinary one except for when they first saw her. They thought that being a princess she would be pampered and spoiled but obviously stories and rumors can be wrong. Suiling-hime and her escorts arrived as planned. Zabuza and his two deputies stood beside Tazuna and the rest of the town in welcoming her. Sui ling-hime rode on a horse, her garb in a light blue blouse and black tight pants.

Naruto meanwhile was having trouble trying not to stare and drool at the princess. Sui-ling was very beautiful, with long wavy dark brown hair, a well-toned body and fair complexion. Sui ling-hime also had an angelic voice that was music to Naruto's ears but sadly the princess was 7 years older than him. Naruto calmly got out of his dreamy state to focus on the person walking alongside Suiling-hime.

Juujin Jo-Em, Sui ling-hime's body guard, walked a few steps behind the princess. The man seemed abit young to be a body guard, and also Naruto could detect a high amount of chakra from the ebony haired man. Tazuna and Zabuza greeted the princess as she came nearer to them. "Welcome to Wave country Suiling-sama" both of them greeted which the princess returned with a smile.

Naruto stepped forward followed closely by Team 7. He bowed to the princess in greeting and then held out his hand to shake Jo-Em's hand. "Hi I'm Juujin Jo-Em , Nice to meet you." Suiling's bodyguard said after shaking Naruto's hand. "Likewise..name's Uzumaki Naruto and these are my teammates" The blonde jounin responded as he stepped aside giving JoEm a view of team 7. JoEm waved at Team 7 , giving them a smile.

As the week of training and preparing came to its end. Team 7 got to know their honored guest. Two of the genins found out that Suiling-hime and Jo-Em were close , affectionately close. Much to Konohamaru's disgust and Sakura's delight , they would often see JoEm watching the princess closely guarding her with his life. Both Naruto and Sasuke didn't react to this piece of information since they were more focused on finishing the training.

At last the day of the pageant came , everyone in wave country and a few dignitaries from Water country arrived. Team 7 were scattered all over the place , scanning the crowds for any suspicious activities. Naruto meanwhile was with Jo-Em guarding the contestants and the princess. Naruto meanwhile noticed one of the contestants, a well endowed woman with a pale blonde hair tied in two pony-tails. Naruto narrowed his eyes when he sensed a large amount of chakra being suppress by the woman.

Naruto didn't mind at first but a nagging sensation kept on coming back to him that something was amiss. He continued his patrol after casting one last glance at the big breasted female. Unknown to him the woman noticed his gaze but also paid no heed to it although inside she was alarmed that a Konoha-nin was present in the pageant. Naruto pressed a button hidden behind his ear as he spoke into the transmitter. "Team 7 be on your guard and be on the look out for hostiles...also Sakura...observe contestant number 3"

Naruto heard all of their acknowledgement to his orders as he continued to patrol the whole tent. Everyone in the team were feeling nervous since there seem to be a lot of dignitaries and people in the area.

Meanwhile the big-breasted contestant was sitting beside her assistant chatting with her in hush whispers. "Shizune...there's some Konoha Shinobi guarding this pageant but they seem to be just kids...Sarutobi-sensei must have gone senile already and sent kids to guard important dignitaries." Tsunade whispered as she adjusted her gown to not reveal much of her cleavage. The dress she was wearing was already tight , her breast almost ready to burst out from the rather constricting fabric.

"It's alright Tsunade-sama...After we win this pageant and take the prize money we will make a hasty get away. Although that blonde-haired Shinobi seem familiar. almost like we've met him before." Shizune replied as she adjusted Tsunade's clothes. Tsunade didn't say anything else , her mind was going back to a small baby being handed to her by Sandaime. 'Is it you Naruto-kun?' Tsunade thought just as the announcer started calling out their numbers.

Positioned at certain locations all over the tent, Team 7 and Suiling-hime's Bodyguard watched the pageant unfold while keeping alert for any suspicious. When all the contestants were on stage feather began to come down from above the tent, most of the crowd started to drop to the ground fast asleep. Instantly Team 7 raced towards the stage after dispelling the genjutsu, mentally thanking Naruto for teaching them this one release jutsu for situations like this.

Naruto meanwhile watched closely at his teams performance. Jo-Em was instantly by Suiling-hime's side , sword drawn ready to defend the princess with his life. "Protect the contestants with your lives..." Naruto ordered as he himself leaped down from the catwalk where he was watching the scene below unfold as the huge tent began to come down. The delegates were already being evacuated by the security and the Demon brothers along with Zabuza also started to evacuate the civilians.

In huge puffs of smoke a large group of Rain-nins appeared lead by Rokushou Aoi. Raijin Ken ignited in his hand as he strode into the room with a smirk on his face. "what's this? Kids and a Security Lap Dog try to stop me?" Aoi said noticing the lacking presence of Naruto. "I guess Konoha's Shinigami was just a hoax and another wanne-be ninja. It's a miracle he even got to jounin Rank"

"Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no jutsu!" A familiar voice roared out beneath Aoi , but the former leaf jounin had already leaped out of the way. Naruto brushed off some of the debris that was caught on his shirt. "Rokushou Aoi...for your treachery against Konoha...I have come to execute you" Naruto said just as Aoi commanded the rain-nins to attack the 5 people standing in their way.

Naruto charged forward killing two rain-nins instantly with a slash from Zanpaku. A shadow clone appearing beside Naruto which quickly leaped off jumping into a group of rather alarmed Rain-nins. Aoi quickly drew Raijin upward blocking Naruto's sword from cutting into his shoulder. "Oh...so you still think you can beat me?" Aoi asked before he added more strength into his block pushing the blonde Jounin back. Naruto skidded a few meters away from Aoi using Zanpaku's blade to stabilize his footing.

Meanwhile Sasuke was in combat with Murasame, his training with Zabuza actually paying off. Sakura was matching wits with the genius former Rain-nin Hisame and Konohamaru was settling a score with Kirisame. Sasuke held onto two double edge kunais , one in each hand while observing the advancing water clones commanded by Murasame. In a burst of speed Sasuke was able to deal with the clones with ease rendering them mere puddles of water.

Sakura meanwhile tried not to be intimidated by the water whip wielding Kunoichi. Hisame flicked her wrist sending a wave of water towards the pink haired Kunoichi. Sakura quickly back flipped to avoid being hit by the rather dangerous liquid. 'The water she is using seems thick...possible chakra-induced' Sakura thought as she analyzed and formulated a plan. Hisame in her frustration that a girl half her age was dodging her attempts like it was nothing , drew more water from the surrounding air and created a second whip.

Sakura quickly performed a series of handseals after landing between three puddles of water. "Mizu Bunshin no jutsu!" Sakura said in a whisper as the puddle beside her rippled once before taking shape. Two exact replica's of the pink haired Kunoichi stood by her side , wielding various water based weapons. "Mizu Kugutsu no Jutsu(Water Puppet Technique). Sakura manage to say as she began using her perfect chakra control to send the clones towards Hisame.

'Can't use this jutsu for long...have to cancel it after 3 minutes to have the clones act independently' Sakura thought as she began driving her opponent into a corner. Feeling her control over the jutsu wavering , Sakura formed a half seal , canceling her control over the clones. She quickly reached into her pouch and popped a soldier pill into her mouth , feeling her chakra returning to her.

Konohamaru meanwhile was hidden within a veil of mist. He was using beacon tags that Naruto had lent him to track Kirisame within the thick fog. Attaching the tag itself was rather hard for him and he had the wound to prove it too. Kirisame had hit him by a kunai on the arm , nothing lethal just a small wound. Konohamaru held onto his staff's handle. He hadn't activated it often only using kunais and shurikens to try and make Kirisame jumpy.

Konohamaru suddenly felt Naruto's chakra signature rise which caused the young Sarutobi to smile. 'That's the signal to get serious and regroup...' Konohamaru thought as he began to channel chakra to his ears and nose hereby strengthening his sense of smell and hearing at least ten times. Konohamaru quickly found Kirisame and three Mizu bunshins standing alert. 'Time to see if my training with No-brows has paid off' Konohamaru thought as he extended the staff's length with his chakra , adding a little twist with a half horse seal.

Kirisame tried to find the brat that he should have killed within seconds but somehow the genin was more skilled than he thought. Kirisame quickly commanded his clones to form a delta formation around him while he collected water particles in the air. Kirisame started to form handseals nervously his mind making him perform them in the wrong sequence due to his paranoia. 'These brats aren't the same as before...' He thought when he suddenly heard Konohamaru's voice from the surrounding mist.

"Sarutobi Ryu: Seiyuuki Oushou Kigokoro (Sarutobi Style: The Ape King's Temper)" Konohamaru's voice rang out from the mist. Kirisame felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. The voice was coming from every direction. Kirisame quickly finished the last handseal but due to his earlier mistakes something went wrong. "Suiton: Daibakufu No Jutsu!" Kirisame sent himself crashing into an incoming Konohamaru clone with it's staff ignited by a Low level Raiton Jutsu.

The effects were instantaneous , Kirisame felt like ten electric eels were attached to his balls and paying their respects to him. Konohamaru meanwhile didn't know that Kirisame was drenched by a backfiring jutsu. Konohamaru worked with his clones , attacking the helpless Kirisame non-stop. Konohamaru an his clones struck while trying to maintain the perfect chakra control over the lengthening and electricity on his weapon.

Sasuke meanwhile was rather pleased with himself. He could see clearly now. He could see Murasame's movements clearly able to deflect and counter his attacks. 'So this is how it feels to fight with the Sharingan' Sasuke thought as he used his newly acquired Doujutsu to end his fight quicker. 'About time Sharingan manifested itself too' Sasuke added as an afterthought as he sidestepped and sent Murasame crashing into the ground with a spin kick.

Sasuke's hand immediately found it's way to Day Walker's handle as he locked eyes with Murasame , casting a Sharingan body binding jutsu. 'I may not be able to defeat Zabuza-san with this jutsu yet...but this will be enough to defeat you!' Sasuke dashed forward one hand one a half-ram seal while the other igniting Day walker's silver colored chakra blade. "Konoha Ryu: Mikatsuki no Mai!" Two Sasuke clones separated from Sasuke's body both wielding swords of their own.

Sasuke leaped high while his two clones converged on Murasame from both sides. Sasuke came down from the sky with a painful and hard slash that cut thru Murasame's right shoulder downwards. Sasuke was breathing hard , this was the first time that he had taken a life of another and it had sparked something in him. Sasuke had a smirk on his face as he deactivated Day Walker's blade. There was no blood on the clean cut only a deep gash. 'This must how it will feel like when I end Itachi's life'

Naruto pushed Aoi back with Zanpaku , the black blade almost cutting into Raijin's yellow blade. Naruto quickly leaped backwards evading Senbon needles coming from a rain-nin to his right. JoEm joined the fray , killing the rain-nin with his sword. Aoi started forming a sequence of handseals familiar to both JoEm and Naruto. Naruto not to be outdone performed his own series of hand seals. 'Hyouton: Kouseki Shuriken (Ice Element:Crystal Shuriken)' Naruto thought as the water puddle before him harden to ice and changed into a crystal clear ice shuriken. Naruto picked up the three shurikens and began pouring his chakra and using Haku's powers. 'Time to show off what Haku has shown me...'

Aoi finished his handseals , a smirk on his face as a huge amount of water rose from behind him. "Suiton:Suiryuudan no jutsu!" The water took shape and let out a gurgled roar as it shot towards Naruto. Naruto quickly threw the ice shurikens towards the water dragon. The dragon opened up its watery maw and ate the chakra filled shuriken causing Aoi to laugh at Naruto's attempt.

Naruto had a confident smile on his face as he quickly held out his hands in a cross position, fingers stretch out like a puppeteer. "Hijutsu: HyouRyuu Shou Kugutsu!( Advance Technique: Ice Dragon Mirror Puppet)" Aoi's dragon suddenly froze in mid-action as the crystal shuriken began its intended job. Naruto's fingers were now filled with chakra strings as he started directing the ice dragon towards the surprised Aoi.

Aoi quickly shook the surprise from his face and charged forward , using Raijin's blade to try and redirect the Ice Dragon's sharp teeth from him. Aoi used the Raijin's chakra blade to escape the dragon as he continued to charge forward. Naruto braced himself ready to block Aoi's strike but he miscalculated Aoi's intended target. Naruto quickly understood who Aoi was aiming for. The rogue jounin was aiming for Suiling-hime who was left unguarded due to JoEm and Naruto's battles. 'Shimatta!' Naruto thought as he watched in horror.

Aoi had a sinister smirk on his face as he pulled his hand back ready to stab Suiling-hime with Raijin's blade but suddenly JoEm appeared right in his path. Blood splattered on the floor as Aoi connected Raijin's blade to Jo-Em's mid section. "You bastard! Get out of my Way!" Aoi screamed as he tried to pry off Raijin's blade from the heavily injured bodyguard. Suiling-hime meanwhile was shocked and rooted to the spot at what just happend.

Naruto instantly warped beside Aoi and backhanded the rogue jounin into a post. Naruto slowly pried off Raijin's blade and began to administer first aid. In the sidelines , Tsunade ,shaking at the sight of blood ,was being comforted to by Shizune trying to calm her down. Suiling-hime still in shocked managed to crawl her way to Jo-Em's side crying and begging the raven haired bodyguard not to leave her.

Naruto still trying to stop the blood flowing from Jo-Em's fatal wound caught sight of the now recognizable Tsunade. "Tsunade-kaasan?" Naruto asked as he quickly tried to assess the situation. Thinking up of a way to save the brave bodyguard's life , Naruto ran to Tsunade and began begging her to help treat Jo-Em's wounds. "Tsunade-kaasan please I beg you to help treat this man" Naruto said pointing to JoEm.

Tsunade ,still shaking from her hematophobia ,couldn't speak due to her fear but she caught sight of the weeping Suiling and remembered her own lost love Dan. She then looked up and saw a similar resemblance to Nawaki in Naruto. 'My Dream is to be Hokage...'She remembered those words in three different voices , Dan's voice , Nawaki's voice and finally the four year old voice of Naruto. Tsunade ,although still shaking , got up from where she was trembling and quickly began to treat the injured man. Shizune began assisting her by reassuring Suiling-hime that everything would be alright now.

Naruto meanwhile stood up facing a enraged Aoi. Naruto cast an emotionless glance to the sides seeing his three man team standing ready. "You three...watch carefully because you will be learning this technique when we get back to Konoha..." Naruto said as he took a single step towards Aoi before disappearing in a burst of ebony flash. Aoi used his umbrella to send senbon needles at the black blur rocketing towards him. Aoi now frustrated redirected his senbon umbrella towards the contestants and operating Tsunade.

"Hold it!...You spineless coward attacking defenseless civilians and injured people..." Naruto said as he intercepted the senbon needles and began advancing towards Aoi again. Aoi jumped back his hands performing handseals ending in the tiger handseal. "Katon:Goukakyou no jutsu!" Aoi shot a huge fireball towards the black blur towards him. Naruto stared straight into the huge ball of flame roaring thru the air towards him. Naruto closed his eyes before letting out a growl induced by Kyuubi's chakra.

The flame now overpowered by Naruto's chakra roar extinguished itself on Aoi as Naruto appeared behind the rogue jounin , icy mist escaping from him. "Hijutsu: Makyou Hyoushou!" Naruto poured 30 of his remaining chakra into the blood's powers as the icy mist and moisture into the air formed a dome of ice mirrors surrounding Aoi. The on lookers watched as a dome of mirrors formed and a black blur from the mirrors attacked Aoi. The on lookers only saw Aoi flying into the air like a rag doll screaming in pain from the injuries being inflicted on him.

The blur shot passed Aoi , numerous slash marks appearing on his arms and upper torso. The blur stopped above the injured Aoi who was now trying to retaliate by performing another katon jutsu. "You think I'm a hoax?...I'll show you why this sword is called Zanpaku.." Naruto spoke as he bit into his thumb and ran the blood on Zanpaku's black blade. The blood on the blade began gathering to the tip as red kanji appeared on the Shinigami's sword.

"Zanpaku look forward...Kuchiyose: Taiso no Rosuto Konpaku! (Summoning : Requiem of the Lost Souls!)" Naruto raised Zanpaku high up into the air black flames erupting from the blade as he swung it downwards. A huge corona of black flames shot out from Zanpaku as it took the shape of a black falcon. The falcon dived downwards at a speed of 250 mph towards Aoi. The falcon struck Aoi at the chest , raking it's burning talons at the rogue Jounin.

Naruto landed on the ground , panting and the flames from Zanpaku's blade just ebbing. Tsunade and Shizune standing proud over a now stabilized JoEm. Suiling-hime sitting beside JoEm placing the raven haired bodyguard's head on her lap. Naruto shook his head at the affectionate display. Team 7 soon joined them in celebrating in their first successful C - B rank mission.

Time jump to three days later.

Naruto stood by the entrance of the tent as he watched the judges crown the winners of the Beauty Pageant. Behind him were Team 7 relaxed and enjoying the show. All three genins had huge grins on their faces when Suiling-hime's name was called. Suiling-hime won as first runner up and Tsunade surprisingly was crowned as Miss Wave Country. Tsunade had a huge grin on her face as she held onto the cheque prize money. 'Tsunade and her debts...' Naruto thought as he followed Konohamaru and Sakura to congratulate both Suiling-hime and Tsunade-hime.

JoEm with one arm in a sling and half of his upper torso wrapped in bandages, was instantly by Suiling-hime's side congratulating her. Tsunade meanwhile was trying to wrestle Shizune for the cheque since Tsunade wanted to go to the nearest casino.

After the celebration and some light gambling on Tsunade's part , Zabuza and the townsfolk took Naruto and team 7 to the completed bridge where Tazuna was waiting for them. Naruto and Tsunade were talking on their way to the bridge. "Kaasan..will you be coming with us back to Konoha?" Naruto inquired while trying not to let the Slug Sannin know his intentions. Tsunade was silent for a moment before replying.

"Do you still have the necklace I gave you?" Tsunade replied at which Naruto nodded and pulled out the emerald stone dangling from his neck. Tsunade gave him a smile before placing a hand on his chin and giving him a kiss on the forehead. Naruto had a shocked expression on his face while Tsunade just gave him a joyful grin. "I'll be coming back with you to Konoha Naruto-kun...I'd like to start that Medical Nin Academy Sarutobi-sensei promised me years ago."

The group reached the bridge where a huge sign was covered with a piece of cloth. Tazuna and Zabuza pulled the cloth covering the sign which revealed the name of the bridge. "Naruto-kun...Not long ago you helped bring courage back to our country and freed us from Gatou's tyranny...In gratitude we the people of Wave country...would like to name this super bridge The Great Naruto Bridge...in your honor" Tazuna announced.

Naruto was silent for a few minutes while the rest of the group cheered and congratulate the young Jounin. The blonde jounin bowed in respect to the people of Wave country. "Thank you for this honor...I was just doing my duty as a Shinobi..." Naruto replied as he took out Zanpaku and cut the ribbon opening the bridge to all travelers. The people of wave country bade goodbye to the departing Konoha Shinobi.

Naruto quickly signaled for his team to pick up the speed while Tsunade and Shizune just shrugged at Naruto's actions and followed the team back to Konoha. Unseen by the others Naruto had a smile behind his mask ever since they left. "Remember this always Team 7 ... A Shinobi is both a weapon and a human being. A weapon of a Shinobi village and a Country but He/She is also a human being who must use his mind and heart to make decisions of his own accord. Live a life of no regrets...and never go back on your word...This is my Shinobi code...It is up to you to make your own Nindo..."


	5. Grass Cutter vs Soul Cutter

Sakura POV

Three months has passed since our first high ranking mission. Team 7 under the command of rookie Jounin-sensei Uzumaki Naruto had brought back one of the Sannin Tsunade-hime and the Legendary sword of Nidaime Hokage "Raijin Ken". During those three months, Naruto-sempai brought our already strenuous training regiment up a notch by giving each of us additional weights and teaching us one of his personal jutsu. "Jinsoku Sokushin: Rapid Acceleration" A technique that amplified a nin's speed by 5 fold.

The training that all three of us went thru was really hard almost like going thru hell and back but I guess it was worth it We got the basics of the jutsu that Naruto-sempai used on that Aoi guy.. Tsunade-sama had put up the Medic-nin Academy granted to her by Sandaime-sama. The school opened a week after we came back from the C - B rank mission after getting our paycheck of course. Naruto-sempai gave us our share of the bounty on the rain-nins we defeated. Two members of Team 7 joined the Medic nin Academy , Me and surprisingly the kid in our team Sarutobi Konohamaru.

During those three months we received personal training as well. Each one of the three months one of us would be absent during team trainings for personal training. My personal trainer was Shizune-san , Tsunade-sama's apprentice. She help me get started with basic medical jutsus for field healing and off-field healing. Naruto-sempai also had me train to be in Sync with my inner personality Inner Sakura. I never really knew why I had this split personality in the first place but from Shizune-sensei's diagnosis it must have been because I never showed much anger and mostly hid it deep inside thus the creation of inner Sakura.

The jutsu that Naruto-sempai and I created "SenbonSakura Renda" was now a part of my arsenal. I can use it effectively more than five times a day before collapsing on the ground with chakra exhaustion and stamina loss. Both Shizune-sensei and Naruto even made me eat more and try to raise my stamina. Something I'm really thankful for since now my goal is to be the best Kunoichi in Konoha just like Tsunade-sama.

Konohamaru came next during the second month, he was trained by the Jounin-Sensei Maito Gai. Kakashi-san's insane rival. Seriously the man needed to get a haircut, tone-down on his voice volume and get a fashion designer. Although the man seem to be insane he still knew his Taijutsu. After Konohamaru-kun had his surgery which of course was only approve when Naruto-sempai and Tsunade-sama got the approval from Sarutobi Asuma-sensei and Sandaime-sama.

Konohamaru wanted to increase his strength although that could be done with training as well. With nervousness Shizune-sensei and Tsunade-sama worked on Konohamaru-kun's developing body tweaking on his muscles and adjusting them to accelerate the muscle strength. But something went wrong with the operation , due to Tsunade-sama's alcoholic tendencies had tweaked something that wasn't even suppose to be awakened until Konohamaru-kun got older.

The Sarutobi clan I heard had an affinity with the Ape Family hence their clan name Saru which meant monkey. The clan bloodline relied on borrowing the strength of the strongest of the ape family the Gorilla and other members of the ape family. When Konohamaru underwent the surgery Tsunade-sama accidentally awakened the bloodline causing the young Sarutobi to have his hair grow longer and his arms to be slightly longer than they should be. Of course Sandaime-sama was quite surprise with this sudden development since Konohamaru-kun is the first to ever have the ability awakened.

So now the kid in our team looks more ape than human but laughing at him will only get you either a lot of broken teeth or broken bones. None of team 7 laughed at Konohamaru-kun because as Naruto-sempai said everyone should be respected no matter what they look like or how much they are different in attitude. Konohamaru-kun got training in channeling the raw strength he had in his now two powerful arms from Tsunade-sama and Maito-san. Luckily Naruto-sempai threatened Gai-san that if Konohamaru-kun ever starts wearing green spandex , he would break every bone in Gai's body and use him as a target practice for little old me. Sometimes Naruto-sempai can be really scary , I've even seen his eyes turn blood red but not-like Sasuke-kun's Sharingan it seemed more beast-like and had raw killer intent which even now is giving me nightmares.

Speaking of Sasuke-kun, the number one rookie of the year got personal training on the third month by Hatake Kakashi , Naruto-sempai's older brother. I was quite surprise that Hatake-san had the Uchiha clan Doujutsu in one eye when he wasn't related to Sasuke-kun. I read somewhere that Hatake-san was taught by Yondaime-sama , Naruto-sempai's father. He is also known as Copy-Ninja Kakashi because of the single Sharingan eye and that he had copied over 1000 jutsus. I also found out that Kakashi-san is a pervert who reads Icha Icha Paradise. I swear if I ever find the author I'm going to give him a piece of my mind and introduce him to Senbon Sakura Renda.

Also during those three months , Naruto-sempai helped Kurenai-sensei in training her team. It was a real shocker when Naruto sempai brought Team 7 to Team 8's training field. During the joint training sessions , Kurenai-sensei and Naruto switched with each other. Kurenai-sensei trained us while Naruto-sempai trained Team 8. It was really cool to see Naruto-sempai prove to us again that he would in a few years really become the next Hokage..

Flashback begins

Kurenai was overseeing Sakura and Sasuke's training while Naruto challenged Team 8 to a battle. All four members of Team 8 surrounded Naruto , who was standing casually as if waiting for them to attack. "Well?" Naruto asked just as Kiba and Akamaru roared out a battle cry and charged forward. Naruto turned his head towards the right , watching Kiba and Akamaru's movements.

"You're speed has increased but you're still attacking like a lunatic..." Naruto stated as he briefly caught Kiba's outstretched hand and threw him off towards Shino who had released his Kikai bugs at Naruto. Taking a short glance down Naruto noticed the bugs starting to crawl towards him. He then glanced back up looking at the dark round lenses of the young Aburame heir.

"Impressive move..Aburame-san...you too Hyuuga-san..." Naruto said as he tried to turn his head behind him , only to be met by a small delicate looking palm glowing with chakra. Hinata meanwhile was shaking inside, she was really scared right now the boy infront of her although still a rookie jounin was known as one of the Hokage's top Shinobi's in the village. She had heard of Uzumaki Naruto from her father, that the blonde haired jounin was trained by Jiraiya one of the Sannin the very same who trained the Yondaime.

"You really shouldn't show your fear like that...Hyuuga-san" Naruto's voice snapped Hinata out of her thoughts. Hinata looked down in embarrassment , her cheeks turning red in a blush.

"Go--gomen...Na-Naruto-sempai...I-I pro-promise I'll tr-try better next ti-time" Hinata stuttered refusing to glance up and look Naruto in the eye. The blonde jounin scratched his head in confusion , trying to understand why Hinata was so shy , quite different from the other Hyuuga's he cross paths with. Most Hyuuga's were like they had jack hammers stuck up their asses.

"Come on Hinata-san...Remember what I told you about stuttering?" Naruto asked with a warm smile on his face. Hinata's face grew redder from the way Naruto just smiled at her. Naruto stretched his body and once more motioned for all three to attack. "Your teamwork is impressive...You've at least landed a hit on me two times now..." Naruto said as he quickly moved to the side letting Akamaru shoot pass him. He then whirled around sending a sizable amount of chakra towards Shino to fend of his bugs.

After distracting Shino's bugs Naruto faced Kiba and Hinata. Kiba charged first on all fours with the Hyuuga heiress close behind , pearl white orbs blazing with intensity. 'Good...she's starting to have confidence in her abilities...' Naruto thought as he leaped over Kiba and engaged Hinata in a short taijutsu match. In the background Sasuke and Sakura watched their Jounin leader push Team 8 pass their limits. "Always remember...To never give up...You all have goals still to achieve...and Hinata-san...come here for a minute I have something to teach you"

Hearing their names being called , both members of Team 7 returned to their assigned task mainly , learning some Genjutsu from Kurenai. After giving them the instructions , Kurenai sat back and watch Naruto push her team up the limits. It was really different from the way she trained them , it seems in Naruto's case he stresses Teamwork and respect into the team. he also disciplines them , rather harshly too , from the way all three team member immediately stand at attention when the arrived that morning.

Kurenai watched team 7 for a few minutes before coming to a realization. 'That nut!' She thought to herself as she observed carefully then thought back to the ANBU trainings she'd seen. She then compared Team 7's movements and teamwork to that of an ANBU team. 'Damnit...that Baka Naruto...He isn't training them like genin...' Kurenai thought. 'He's training just like how he trains his ANBU team!' Kurenai thought.

'No wonder those three are far more advanced and their teamwork are already A-ranked.' Kurenai thought as she herself grew a bit jealous at the way Naruto lead his team. She had just recently taught Team 8 the tree climbing exercise which of course earned her a questioning eyebrow from Naruto. Her thoughts were broken when Naruto called for a halt and decided to call it a day.

End of Flashback

I dont know why Kurenai-sensei always asked Naruto-sempai to help training her team when she was doing a fine job but I guess she just liked the way Kiba seemed to shut up when Naruto's around and how Hinata had improved with Naruto-sempai's help. The shy Hyuuga heiress no longer stuttered when she talked and was more confident in her abilities. She seems to have improved in skill as well.

After the three month training regiment, Naruto-sempai surprisingly rewarded us by nominating us for the upcoming Chuunin Selection Exam. I can't wait to try and test my growth against Ino-pig or any foreign Shinobis. Naruto-sempai told us to be prepared for the worse , initially he didn't want to expose us to the Chuunin Selection Exam so early in our Rookie year but with Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei's convincing him. Naruto-sempai reluctantly nominated us.

The first exam was a breeze for me since it involved a paper test although I could have cheated during that test. I saw Sasuke-kun cheat by using his Sharingan to copy the movements of the person infront of him. I was more afraid of Konohamaru since the boy seemed to have been trembling. I thought that Konohamaru would raise his hand and quit, but as Naruto-sempai taught us. Konohamaru didn't give up at all instead the boy was the one who answered the final question of the scary Examiner.

We then started the second part of the exam with another scary teacher. This time the examiner is a woman, and most of the Shinobi are gawking at her despite her threats. She introduced herself as Mitarashi Anko and from the look in her eyes I can tell she's a bloodthirsty one. I've seen those kind of eyes from Naruto-sempai. Suddenly i feel this intense surge of killing intent heading towards us. I desperately calmed my nerves down and tried to glance sideways to see who is staring at me.

Teal orbs met my emerald orbs as he stared hard at me with emotionless almost dead eyes. I shivered as I cast my glance away from the Red Haired Sand-nin. That guy gives me the creeps. After Sasuke-kun handed our papers in and had retrieved our heaven scroll. Konohamaru lead the team to Gate 12 where a Chuunin Examiner was waiting.

"What's the plan Sakura?" Sasuke asked as he sat down on a stump. Konohamaru meanwhile was checking our supply pouches. He quickly pulled out the small radio transmitters that we always carried and threw them each to us. I caught the radio transmitter easily as I set my gaze towards the dark forest beyond the steel fence.

After a few minutes of weighing our options I finally was able to come up with a strategy. "I guess when the exam starts and the gate is open we rush inside and find a good campsite. We have five days for this Exam. Once we find a suitable campsite. Sasuke-kun...You start setting traps and alarms...Konohamaru-kun gather some fruits. I doubt the animals in this forest are easy to kill." I finished as I withdrew my hand from the small layout I drew.

Sasuke-kun and Konohamaru looked at the layout for a minute or two before I erased the drawing with my foot. "Do we really have to wait for the five days to finish?" Konohamaru asked which earned him a irritated look from Sasuke. I let out a sigh as Sasuke said his explained his own plan.

"We cant really wait for the five days to be done. So here is how I see it After we set up camp Sakura since you're the best at Genjutsu...you'll create a genjutsu trap on the pathway." Sasuke said. I gave him a small smile at his praise of my skills in Genjutsu. Months ago Sasuke-kun would have just said he'll handle everything. "Konohamaru and I will set up our own traps and try to subdue any of the teams that fall into your traps."

Just as we finished planning the weirdly loud examiner who seemed to have been embarrassed from the way that weird Grass-nin with the long tongue winked at her. With a command from her the Chuunin guards opened the gates wide open. Serious expressions covered our faces as the three of us rushed into the secluded area. A nod from Sasuke gave us the signal to take to the trees , which earned us a grin from Konohamaru.

Once up in the trees we fanned out keeping only radio distance in order to find a suitable campsite. After a few minutes, a barely audible sound came from my right ear. It was Konohamaru-kun he found a suitable campsite. I immediately headed towards Konohamaru's position. AS I leaped from one branch to another I sense faint chakra signatures following me closely. A smiles formed on my face as I whispered my discovery to the rest of the team. "three blind mice are following me..."

Sasuke POV

"Three blind mice are following me" I heard Sakura's whispered voice while nodding to Konohamaru to prepare for an ambush. I'm glad Naruto-sempai taught us some of the ANBU code although I think some of it is his idea of a joke. I immediately ran up a tree a almost invisible wire being dragged behind me. i watch 7 Konohamaru's ready and waiting armed with explosive tags and the quarter staff.

Sakura came into view stopping in the middle of the clearing. once she stopped her pursuers came down from behind her. I watched as Sakura faked weakness baiting them further into our trap. With a knowing grin which was the signal to spring the trap , Sakura pulled a few strings behind her , launching some of the kunai traps behind her pursuers.

With the kunai traps activated , I quickly leaped out of my hiding place followed closely by Konohamaru and his clones. As i descended on the unsuspecting trio of Shinobi, I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of their Hitai'ate's. Rain-nins... with knowing smirks from my two other teammates, We quickly subdued the jumpsuit wearing Rain-nins. After tying the unconscious rain-nins to a tree, Konohamaru quickly searched their pouches for the scrolls that we needed. After a few minutes of rummaging Konohamaru finally was able to extract the brown earth scroll.

I gave them a nod as I leaped up to the trees heading north towards the Tower. "Let's hurry up and head to the tower" I said into the mouthpiece as a triumphant smirk formed on my face. We traveled at a considerable fast pace , the tower drawing nearer as the screams of other teams echoed through the dark forest.

I set my sights on the location when I felt a fast moving chakra projectile coming our way. 'Kuso...an intruder...' I thought before a large gust of wind blew me and my teammates backwards. Using the training that i had gained from Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-sempai, I easily landed on a branch not far from where the blast of wind originated from. A few feet away from me were Sakura and hanging from a branch above me was Konohamaru.

"Ku...ku...ku...Impressive Sasuke-kun..." A female hissing voice came from beneath the ground as something rose from the ground. I watched as the grass-nin from before rose up from the ground, his long tongue licking at the side of his/her face. 'EEWWW that dude must have one fucked up childhood...' I thought in disgust at the way this person addressed me like he knew me or something.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" I asked while giving off faint signals to Sakura and Konohamaru to be ready for anything. The grass-nin continued to chuckle in a really sadistic way. Without warning the grass-nin made eye-contact with us. immediately my life flashed right in my head, form the time when the clan was still in one piece to that very night when Itachi brutally massacred it leaving only him and me and an unknown other Uchiha alive.

Genjutsu and killer intent combined!' i thought as i urged my body to move, I can sense that the others are in the same predicament as I am. I suddenly heard someone choking from the fear. 'Kuso...Sakura and Konohamaru can't take anymore of this...I can't stand this anymore...Think..Think...' I thought as I tried to remember something that bastard of a brother taught me once.

_"Fear is a powerful weapon...but even the ultimate weapon has it's own weakness...The Kanashibari no jutsu although a weak technique in the hands of an amateur. It can be very dangerous when used by a sadist or someone who enjoys killing. the Kanashibari uses a target's fear of death and replays it in the target's mind over and over again or only once. To escape it...use pain..." _Itachi's voice came drawling into my head. I remembered that incident after he said that he stabbed me on the leg with his kunai as if to teach me a lesson. I also remembered when Naruto-sempai used that jutsu on me and Sakura kicked me in my family jewels.

The ugly grass-nin was starting to make his way towards me, a dangerous glint could be seen in his eyes. 'shit this guy is insane!' I thought as I finally was able to grab a kunai from my holster and jam the blade into my knee. ironically the same place where Itachi rammed his kunai. Without looking at the shocked look from the grass-nin I grabbed Sakura and Konohamaru and fled to a safer location.

I set Konohamaru and Sakura down by the branch after the effects of the Kanashibari wore off. Suddenly a huge snake slithered from the canopy , it's fangs bared as it shot towards us. 'Kuso...' I thought as we leaped away , my hands finding its way to a familiar pattern of handseals. "Katon:Goukakyou no jutsu!" I proclaimed as i inhaled deep and exhaled a large fireball that began to eat the snake. The snake writhed in pain trying to put out the flames and the onslaught of shurikens from Sakura and Konohamaru.

I scanned the area when the grass-nin appeared again this time riding on top of a large snake. 'Shit!' were my thoughts as I scrambled out of the branch i was in just as the weirdo came crashing down with its pet snake. "What the hell do you want?" I asked as I came into position for a Delta attack formation. I pulled out three kunais from my holster , waiting for the weird person to make his move.

"Ku ku ku...I want...I want to test you Sasuke-kun" The grass-nin replied ,again licking his face with that gross long tongue. Without warning the grass-nin attacked sending the snake he was riding on towards me. I leaped away , my eyes never leaving the grass-nin as i once again performed a sequence of hand-seals. Sakura meanwhile had finished her jutsu. I heard her call out the technique. "Kusaton: Kusa nawashibari! Grass Element: grass rope binder" Immediately the surrounding shrubbery from the trees came to life. Grass grew to great lengths and wrapped around the disguised sannin.

The grass ropes suddenly burst into mud deafening eerie laugh filling the air. "Ku ku ku ku ku Impressive teamwork...but not good enough!" The grass-nin's voice echoed throughout the area. I shivered at the way he said those words, 'This guy is really starting to tick me off' I thought as Konohamaru and Sakura landed beside me. I took out my remaining kunais and some wire.

The grass-nin suddenly disappeared from my sights only to reappear beside Konohamaru and send the boy thru the air. With quick and trained reflexes Sakura immediately threw a pair of kunais to save our downed teammate. 'Shit This isn't going too well and that bastard is toying with us! i thought as the grass-nin sneered at us in a toying matter. After all the training that Naruto-sempai and all the other Shinobi's who have helped me , I didn't like to be toyed with. I am an Uchiha and no one makes a fool out of Uchiha Sasuke!

With my patience growing thin , I closed my eyes as my chakra began to flow to my onyx orbs. 'SHARINGAN!' I thought out loud as everything in my sight became much more clearer. the grass-nin just squealed in delight as if it was happy that i revealed my bloodline limit. Without wasting anytime , I threw the kunais towards the grass-nin, using the wires I immediately controlled its movements.

The grass-nin gasped in surprise as the kunais shot past him and began to wrap the wires attached to him. I opened the Fuuma Shuriken that I had taken from one of my hidden pockets and threw it towards the already wrapped Shinobi. " You're annoying..." I said as the streamlined shuriken wrapped more wires around the grass-nin , using my Sharingan to make sure that the wires were wrapped around vital part of his body. "Sharingan Soufuusha Santachi! Copy Wheel Eye Windmill Triple Blade 

After placing the end of the wires in my lips I began to perform a rapid sequence of handseals. After finishing the final seal I called out the technique as the chakra in my lugs began to move towards my mouth. 'Katon: Ryuuka no jutsu!" I exhaled letting the flames run thru the wires towards the grass-nin. I watched as my strongest fire jutsu hit its mark , burning the grass-nin to a crisp.

Without waiting if the grass-nin survived I immediately moved to check on Konohamaru and Sakura. I quickly found Sakura with Konohamaru leaning against a tree trunk. I gave them a small smile as I sat down to rest. "Is it dead?" Sakura asked while I just nodded in reply , trying not to let my excitement fill me. Sakura didn't ask anymore questions when the same laugh began to echo thru our hiding place.

"Ku ku ku impressive Sasuke-kun...mastering such a complicated jutsu and using your bloodline limit..." A voice infront of us spoke out as it rose from the ground. The voice was still the same but the face was no longer the gay looking grass-nin but a pale faced man. It stood there the skin which was obviously burnt form the Ryuuka no jutsu falling to the ground in pieces.

"Who the hell are you?" I repeated my question earlier as I stood up trying not to show any weakness. My body was in pain from the constant moving plus the consumption of my chakra. The pale-faced-nin licked his lips before going into a fit of giggles. 'This guy is annoying and has a girly laugh...' I thought while Sakura tried to hide Konohamaru out of sight.

The grass-nin gave me a smirk before answering my question. "My name is Orochimaru...and I have come to test you if you are worthy of my gift" the grass-nin now known as Orochimaru said. My eyes went wide in shock when I heard those words. 'Orochimaru...shit..' I thought when Orochimaru pulled out a sword from his very mouth and charged towards me.

Out of instinct I pulled out Day Walker and brought it forward to block Orochimaru's blade. The two swords clashed together before Orochimaru pushed forward shattering Day Walker's blade. 'Shit!' I said as I stared at the remains of my sword. I barely dodged to the right when Orochimaru made eye contact with me , causing my body to be paralyzed. 'Shit Genjutsu Shibari no jutsu!'

I struggled to move but Orochimaru had other plans as his neck elongated snaking its way towards me. Orochimaru had a grin on his face as i struggles to move. 'Move Damnit! Move or I'll never catch up to him!' I thought desperately. Time seem to slow down when death nears you , I saw my life flash before my eyes and my only regret was I never got to ask that bastard why he did it.

Just as Orochimaru's head came close to me I felt something push my body away from the snake sannin.

Normal POV

Anko leaped from one branch to another , moving thru the dark forest , searching for someone. After the Chuunin had reported about the three dead grass-nins with their faces peeled off, Anko immediately suspected one person to have done it. She gave quick instructions to the Chuunin to contact ANBU as she leaped towards Training Area 44. She met the Rookie 9 Jounin senseis on her way there without hesitation she told them to follow her. 

Behind her was Yuuhi Kurenai , Sarutobi Asuma and Uzumaki Naruto in a spread out four man formation. "Anko-neechan who are we looking for?" Naruto inquired as he used his well-trained senses to try and find their query. Anko looked towards the blonde jounin before replying.

"The team from Kusa was ,found near training area 12, heavily mutilated and faces peeled off" Anko answered as she tried to pick up the trail of the snake that performed the technique. "I already asked someone to contact ANBU but I want to catch the bastards that's trying to ruin my exam" Anko said as they stopped to look for any clues. They passed numerous battle grounds, even a massacre between the Sand team and a Rain team , with Kurenai's team witnesses to the bloody massacre.

As Anko lead the three jounin , they suddenly heard the sounds of battle coming from the direction where they were heading. "I can sense the chakra signatures...its..." Naruto said as he sniffed the air to get the correct signature. His eyes widened in shock when he realized the chakra signatures. "Kuso! It's Team 7 and they're against someone who is at least jounin level." Naruto said in alarm as he suddenly vanished in a blur of movement.

"Wai--wait Naruto! Wait for us!" Anko said when the blonde jounin used Shunpa to get to their destination quicker. "Damn that brat." Anko cursed as she and the two remaining jounin quickened their pace to catch up to Naruto. Asuma had already pulled out his knuckle blades for the upcoming battle while Kurenai channeled chakra to her legs as she kept pace with Anko.

Naruto quickly found Team 7 and Orochimaru in the midst of a battle. His eyes narrowed when he felt the suppressed chakra that Orochimaru hid. Orochimaru had Sasuke cornered after finally revealing his true identity. 'Shit!' Naruto thought as he recognized the snakelike way Orochimaru moved. Naruto watched as Orochimaru moved for the killing blow. A flash of pink made Naruto turn his attention to Sakura who had gotten up from where she was hiding towards Sasuke.

Sakura's scream echoed thru the forest as Orochimaru's fangs sank into her teeth. Naruto could see the anger in Orochimaru's eyes when the snake-sannin realized his mistake. Orochimaru released his hold on the still shrieking Sakura as Naruto felt a transfer of chakra between Orochimaru and the pink haired Kunoichi just as Orochimaru began yelling at the girl. Sakura falling unconscious as Orochimaru's neck recoiled back to its body. 

"You...You damn brat! I'll kill you for ruining my plans!" Orochimaru shouted as he prepared to finish Sakura and repeat the process of giving the curse seal to the still paralyze and horrified Sasuke. The Uchiha survivor finally able to gain control of his body, anger radiated from him as his Sharingan flickered to life. Orochimaru had a smirk on his face as he performed a series of handseals. "Fuuton: Daitoppa!" Orochimaru brought his hands to his lips to let loose a large blast of wind when Sasuke suddenly mimicked his movements.

Sasuke called out the technique that he just copied from Orochimaru completely surprising the snake-sannin as the two wind blast collided and dispersed. Orochimaru screamed in frustration but it quickly turned to a full blown laugh as he eyed Sasuke with an obsessive glare. "Your body and eyes shall be mine!" Orochimaru proclaimed as he once again elongated his neck towards Sasuke. A roar from the side distracted Orochimaru as a large lizard leaped out of the foliage and let loose a huge fireball directly in his face.

Orochimaru screamed in pain and anger as he watched as the lion-size lizard land in between him and Sasuke. the lizard was dark in color with a cloth wrapping around its back, the Uchiha clan insignia embroidered on the cloth. "Leave this place you vile snake..." The lizard spoke in a hiss as more lizards of the same size came out. Orochimaru glared in a defiant manner before sinking into the ground.

"I'll be back...you may have protected him but it won't last long...Sasuke-kun will be mine..." Orochimaru said as his head disappeared within the ground. The lizards let out a growl as it spat a sizeable fireball at the dark spot where Orochimaru stood moments before.

As Orochimaru left Sasuke collapsed on the ground from exhaustion and the sudden disappearance of the snake sannin's killer intent. Up in the trees Naruto nodded at what just took place, he cast a worried glance at the unconscious forms of Sakura and Konohamaru. Anko and his two fellow jounin had arrived just as Orochimaru's head shrank into the ground. Naruto quickly told Anko where Orochimaru had fled to. As much as Naruto wanted to help his team , he could not since this was an exam less he want them to be disqualified.

Anko picked up Orochimaru's fleeing trail and motioned for Naruto to follow her while she directed Kurenai and Asuma to contact the Hokage and Naruto's ANBU division. "You two alert Hokage-sama and ANBU Division 6. Tell them Uzumaki-Taichou called them" Anko instructed as she raced towards Orochimaru's location. 'The slimy bastard stopped' Anko thought while Naruto remained silent , his mind worrying over Team 7's well-being.

After the two left Anko and Naruto made their way towards Orochimaru's location, the blonde jounin had a serious look on his face as he placed his ANBU mask. He pulled it up once to bite into his thumb. with a series of handseals Naruto said in a whisper "Kuchiyose: Tate shoshite Tsurugi - Summoning: Shield and Sword" The distinct puffs of smoke made Anko turn her attention to Naruto. "Let's deal with this...Anko-neechan try to remember we are only to buy some time before the old man and reinforcements arrive" Naruto said as he tried to subdue his own anger and lust for revenge on what the snake sannin had done to his team.

Orochimaru looked up to see his former apprentice and test subject. He smirked when he saw Anko but it immediately turned to a dark scowl when he saw the person who landed beside Anko. A blonde haired kid clothed in midnight black with a large sword strapped to his back but what really made Orochimaru's blood boil were the creatures that the blonde haired kid commanded. Warrior toads, one holding a large shield while the other holding onto a zanbatou, not just any warrior toads but direct descendants to the Toad Boss himself Gamabunta.

To Orochimaru this meant only one thing his idiot of a teammate Jiraiya but there was no sign of that pervert. Orochimaru's eye narrowed as he inquired "So Jiraiya thought you were worthy of summoning the toads?" The blonde jounin didn't reply to Orochimaru's question, he just looked down on the snake sannin from where he was situated before calling out a technique. "Suiton:Suiryuudan no jutsu!" 

Naruto called out the technique as water particles in the air took shape and shot towards the Snake sannin. Orochimaru smirked as he quickly went thru a series of seals and countered the water dragon. "Senei Jashu!" Anko's voice rang out from Orochimaru's left , snakes extend from Anko's sleeve. The snakes bit into Orochimaru's skin and wrap around him but the snake sannin suddenly melted into a puddle of mud.

Naruto meanwhile was trying to keep track of the S-rank missing-nin, his senses sniffing out the reptile-like stench of Orochimaru. Orochimaru leaped out of his hiding place to strike Anko from behind but the shield toad came from out of nowhere to block Orochimaru's own Senei Jashu. The Zanbatou wielding toad followed up his fellow's block with an attack of its own by a vertical slash at Orochimaru, cutting him in the shoulder. "Curse these toads!" Orochimaru cried out as he leaped away all the while wiping the blood on to the contract on his arm. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Orochimaru called out as a large snake rose from the smoke with him riding on top of it.

Orochimaru had a triumphant smirk on his face as his serpent overpowered the toad duo when numerous clones of Naruto came leaping at the snake. The snake sannin just smirked before blowing the clones away with a Fuuton Daitoppa. Anko leaped at Orochimaru as she started engaging him in a taijutsu match. Orochimaru with his experience easily subdued his former apprentice. Anko once again used Senei Jashu , sending a couple of snakes to try and fend off the snake sannin. 

Naruto recovering from the lost of the support from his toad summons and his clones , leaped at Orochimaru engaging the sannin in Taijutsu. Orochimaru who had much more experience than Naruto easily evaded an incoming fist from the blonde jounin. Orochimaru moved his head to the side using his body elongating technique. A loud crash could be heard as Naruto's fist connected with the tree trunk behind the snake sannin. Chunks of bark flew at Orochimaru who had a very grim expression.

With his genius mind Orochimaru put two and two together before he leaped back preparing to call out something. "So Tsunade-hime and that pervert contributed to you're growth...but who are you to have caught the eye of my teammates?" Orochimaru said as a snake slithered out of his mouth ejecting a hilt of his sword. Naruto stood there flexing his hand and breathing hard. Inside of Naruto Kyuubi stirred as he saw the sword that Orochimaru pulled out from his mouth. Kyuubi let out a howl of rage inside of Naruto , immediately making contact with his vessel. **"Naruto! That sword...It's the Kusanagi! That vile creature holds the sword that was presented to the Goddess Amaterasu by my Sensei Susano-O-No-Mikoto." **Naruto didn't reply to Kyuubi's words but he eyed the sword that now Orochimaru held.

"So this is the legendary sword Kusanagi.' Naruto thought as Orochimaru vanished from where he stood over an unconscious Anko. Naruto quickly turned 180 degrees, bringing Zanpaku out , blocking Orochimaru's attack. Naruto grunted as he felt the power behind the snake-sannin's attack. 'Crap' Naruto thought , pushing his body forward forcing Orochimaru to leap back.

"It didn't shatter?" Orochimaru asked in surprise as he stared at the sword that Naruto wielded. Orochimaru also noted the red chakra that was slowly appearing thru out Naruto's body. "I see...You're the Kyuubi brat..." Orochimaru said with a smirk, swinging Kusanagi as he charged towards Naruto. A large gush of wind shot towards Naruto as he tried to dodge but Orochimaru extended his arm and caught the blonde Jounin's foot. Orochimaru then thrust his sword into Naruto, the blonde jounin exploded into smoke revealing to be a Kage Bunshin.

Orochimaru suddenly felt something land on his arm , he turned his head just as Naruto's fist connected. Orochimaru felt some of his teeth fall of from his gums as he flew back , a crack could be heard as he crashed into a tree. Orochimaru stood up holding onto the bruise that was forming on his left cheek. Orochimaru cursed , his eyes filled with anger , he let roared in rage letting his killer intent envelop the whole area.

Naruto felt the air grow tense , Orochimaru vanished from where he stood and sent the boy flying backwards. Without waiting for the boy to hit a tree Orochimaru followed the boy launching a series of rapid strikes at the blonde boy. Naruto finally landed on the ground , skidding to a stop with Orochimaru standing over him with the Kusanagi ready to stab him. "Time to die brat!" Orochimaru said

Just as Orochimaru drove the Kusanagi down towards Naruto , distinct pops could be heard as hands appeared from behind Orochimaru pushing the snake-sannin forward causing him to lose his balance. Naruto quickly leaped back up and dashed towards the still held captive Orochimaru. Chakra gathered in Naruto's hand as he flew towards Orochimaru who now had 6 of Naruto's clones holding onto him ,trying not to be overpowered by the snake-sannin's strength.

Orochimaru's eyes went wide in shock and fear when he saw what Naruto held in his hand. "That jutsu..." Orochimaru said in horror as Naruto drove the spinning orb of chakra into the sannin's gut. Orochimaru was sent flying but the Rasengan was suddenly destroying a churning puddle of mud. Naruto silently cursed when Orochimaru appeared behind him , sending a round house kick to his head. Naruto tried to dodge but Orochimaru quickly caught up with his movements and sent the jounin flying. Orochimaru was panting holding onto his sides ,where a large wound could be seen. "Rasengan...The Fourth's technique...You're a very dangerous brat...I'll have to kill you now so you won't ruin my plans..." Orochimaru said as he charged towards Naruto.

'Kyuubi lend me your chakra!' Naruto thought as Kyuubi didn't respond in words but with the chakra that the blonde jounin needed. He felt the rush of power as red chakra leaked out of his body. Orochimaru had a smirk on his face , he ignored the growing pain from the wound that Naruto had inflicted on him, but it quickly fell as dozens of clones blocked his path. Kage Bunshins appeared in mid move launching attacks at the charging sannin.

Orochimaru growled in frustration as he tore thru the clones towards the real Naruto who was busy concentrating and performing handseals at a rapid speed. Naruto could see that his clones were easily defeated by the sannin and few were left. Finishing the last handseals Naruto concentrated on the water particles in the air. "Hijutsu: Dai Hyourin Shourou Great Ice Ring Mirror Prison! " Naruto called out as the water particles in the are began to form a ring of mirror prisons.

Naruto held Zanpaku pointing the blade towards Orochimaru as he waited for a moment to break the mirrors into shards and send it flying to the Sannin. Anko meanwhile had finally woken up , she immediately looked around for her former sensei. she then saw the huge ring of ice surrounding Orochimaru with the dozens of Naruto clones waiting outside incase the sannin escaped.

Orochimaru let out a dark chuckle as three of his mud clones rose from the ground facing towards the mirror. "You think a little prison like this will hold me brat?" Orochimaru called out as he did a single seal summoning the Kusanagi sword to him. The legendary sword flew thru the air sending large razor sharp winds as it drew closer to it's current master. The clones tried to protect themselves but the wind ripped thru them making the clones disappear.

Naruto cursed when he forgot about the legendary sword which flew right thru one the mirrors shattering it. Naruto braced himself but was completely off guard when Orochimaru wrapped his tongue around his neck lifting him a foot into the air, the snake sannin then exposed the seal on Naruto's stomach. "Don't get so cocky brat!" Orochimaru roared out as he pulled his hand back, purple flames appearing on each finger. "Gogyou Fuuin! Five Elemental Seal!" Orochimaru whispered, slamming his hand into the seal. A new seal appeared on Naruto's stomach immediately taking effect , cutting him off any form of communication with the Kyuubi.

Anko seeing Naruto in danger immediately rushed to help her comrade. "You bastard!" Anko cursed as she launched a barrage of snakes at the Snake Sannin who had tossed Naruto aside. Orochimaru sliced thru the onslaught of scales from Anko , taking short steps towards the special jounin. Just as Orochimaru reached Anko he felt a familiar presence and chakra signature behind him. Orochimaru also felt at least 20 other chakra signatures he didn't know.

"What are you doing here Orochimaru?" The voice behind Orochimaru said , causing the pale faced man to smile abit before turning around to face the owner of the voice. Orochimaru turned around to see his sensei standing there clothed in the Hokage robes. Orochimaru's serpentine orbs lingered at the 20 or so black robed ANBU who all had canine type mask.

"Sarutobi-sensei...I was just in the neighborhood...checking in if you're still alive and considered in naming me as the Fifth..." Orochimaru replied all the while he prepared to escape. Sandaime just shook his head as he waited for Orochimaru to make his move. Naruto groggily woke up from where Orochimaru had thrown him, he could feel that something was blocking the seal. He also found that his ice ring prison was shattering into tiny pieces from the lack of control and chakra on his part.

Orochimaru turned his attention to the awakened blonde jounin, a smirk forming on his pale visage. "You're pretty easy going now...Orochimaru.." Sandaime spoke as he took a short glance at the Kyuubi vessel before returning to his former pupil. "You didn't finish off Naruto while you had a chance." Naruto meanwhile tried to communicate with his furry tenant but a disturbance was hindering it.

Orochimaru let out a chuckle before locking eyes to both Sandaime and Naruto, letting lose the full force of his killer intent and chakraatsu Chakra pressure . Sandaime stood there calmly while Naruto grunted before calling Zanpaku to his hand and used his own Chakraatsu to combat the snake-sannin's own high pressure. "Oh?...I expected as much from you Sarutobi-sensei...but even with this amount of chakra pressure he can still move? "Orochimaru inquired in a slightly surprised tone. Naruto didn't reply but just directed an icy glare at the sannin , almost seeing fear from the pale man. "You're much stronger than I thought Naruto-kun...Ku ku ku "

"What is your true purpose here Orochimaru?" Sarutobi interrupted as he took a step towards his former pupil ready to take the pale faced sannin down. Orochimaru just gave him a smirk before replying. The Kusanagi sword now landing on Orochimaru's open palm, the sannin chuckling lightly knowing he was already at a disadvantage with ANBU and the Sandaime surrounding him.

"I came to check if my next vessel is ready...sadly...something came up ...ruining my test..." Orochimaru said in a hiss remembering the Fire breathing Lizards that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere to the Uchiha's rescue. "Don't stop the Chuunin exam...Sarutobi-sensei or you'll regret it..." Orochimaru threatened as he sank into the ground.

Naruto along with Anko quickly moved to stop Orochimaru from escaping but a signal from Sarutobi stopped them in their tracks. With Orochimaru's departure the huge chakra pressure disappear making Anko and most of the ANBU to fall on all fours suddenly feeling relieved that the threat had left. Naruto dropped on one knee , panting hard from exhaustion and from low chakra. Feeling that it was doing fine , Naruto dropped to the ground unconscious , exposing his stomach to the alarmed Sarutobi , the seal flashing for a few seconds before disappearing again. 'A five element seal!' Sarutobi said as he stared at the spot where Orochimaru sank into. 'What are you planning my fool of a student?' Sarutobi thought as he hoisted the blonde jounin easily over his shoulders.

Those of the ANBU team that had recovered hoisted their still unconscious comrades and Anko , following the Hokage out of the forest and back to the central tower for treatment. A few of them were peering at their unconscious division captain, a few feeling abit of dread when the jounin would wake up and find out that most of them had fallen unconscious and failed to capture Orochimaru.

Kakashi one of the few not to fall unconscious , carried Anko back to the tower. he nodded to some of the team members knowing that they were more than disappointed with the escape of Orochimaru. On his way to the tower, Kakashi spotted team 7 surrounded by a pack of lion size lizards. His eyes widened in shock when he realized what they were. 'Those are...'

Meanwhile down where Team 7 was resting

Sasuke sat across the leader of the lizard pack, beside him were Konohamaru and a still unconscious Sakura. Sasuke cast a worried glance at his female teammate, his onyx orbs traveling to the weird mark on her forehead. Konohamaru meanwhile was tending to Sakura, he paid little attention to the large lizards surrounding them since he saw the Uchiha clan symbol on one of the lizards.

"So let me get this straight...you're the Uchiha Fire lizards?" Sasuke asked this earned him a roar from the leader.

"I TOLD YOU WE ARE NOT JUST LIZARDS WE ARE COMODO DRAGONS!" The leader hissed in rage as it waved its large tail , slamming it on the ground causing small tremors to shake the area around them. Sasuke gave an annoyed look at the komodo dragon before replying.

"Then why haven't I heard of you before?" Sasuke asked , casting a glance at Konohamaru and Sakura to check how the girl was fairing. Konohamaru gave him a small nod telling him the Sakura was stable and had stopped shaking.

"You have not heard of us...young hatchling because...we are only revealed to the Uchiha members once they turn 15 summers old...plus we weren't suppose to come to your aid if it wasn't for the fact that you are the last of the Uchiha since the Weasel boy massacred the clan. We could no longer be summoned by any of the Uchiha's" The leader replied letting out a grunt and a growl to the rest of his pack.

"Weasel boy? you mean Itachi?" Sasuke replied at which the leader nodded before pulling a large scroll from his back. "What's this?" Sasuke asked as he took the scroll and opened it to reveal names of the Uchiha's that had ever signed the summoning scroll of the Komodo Dragons. Sasuke also found that right after his father's name he couldn't see Itachi's name. "Why isn't Itachi's name signed here? Didn't he sign this?"

"No the weasel-boy never under went the ritual of blood pact...Your father was rather displeased with Weasel-boy since he could not be the one to hold up the legacy of summoning the Komodo Tribe" The leader said , just as he wrapped a claw around the scroll and instructed Sasuke on what to do. "Although you are not of age we are allowing you to sign this contract since the Snake tribe has chosen to show itself...sign the contract with your name using blood" The leader instructed.

Sasuke looked at the Komodo Dragon before him before muttering about crazy lizards and insane brothers. Sasuke bit his thumb making sure that he drew blood, tasting the taste of his blood , Sasuke then proceeded to sign the contract right next to his father's name. 'Good...my name is Ryuusuke... I am the leader of this pack but the higher ups and larger komodo dragons can be summoned once you learn how to summon...and submit yourself to them."

Sasuke gave the lizard a puzzled look before the dragon let out a snort making the pack slowly move back into the forest. "You may call on us. once you have learned how to summon ..I suggest you ask the White fang's pup to teach you young hatchling...and don't disappoint us like the Weasel-boy..." Ryuusuke said as Sasuke just stared at his retreating form. 'White fang's pup? Who is that?' Sasuke thought but it was disrupted when Konohamaru tossed a pouch of soldier pills on his head.

"OOWW..You damn brat why'd you throw that at me?" Sasuke said as he picked up the pouch and popped a soldier pill into his mouth. Konohamaru sniggered at Sasuke before replying.

"I already set up a few trap...but I doubt those will hold...plus I need some rest...Wake me up If you need help..." Konohamaru said with a snigger at the last comment as he climbed the tree where they were hiding under and started looking for a suitable spot to sleep.

"Where the hell are you going Konohamaru?" Sasuke asked annoyed by the last comment that the brat had said. After noticing the brat had left him with Sakura who was sleeping ,light muttering could be heard from, the pink haired girl. Sasuke let out a sigh when only a snore from Konohamaru came back as a reply to his question. Muttering curses , Sasuke moved to fix the blanket that Konohamaru had hastily covered the pink haired Kunoichi. he watched as Sakura's face contorted to pain , Sasuke not knowing what to do, tried his best to calm the girl feeling her shiver to his touch.

Sasuke's eyes were fixed on the strange mark that was left on her forehead after Orochimaru had bitten her. Sasuke's visage turned to rage at the thought of the snake sannin. 'That bastard! When this test is over...I'll train as hard as I can...forget Itachi...that weasel brother of mine can wait...Orochimaru's going down putting weird marks on helpless..erm..no Sakura isn't helpless...she's just..violent...when she releases that inner personality of hers..but rest assured the next time I see Orochimaru...I'll kill him'

As Sasuke pondered on the strange mark on Sakura's head all the while keeping his watch over their camp. He heard the feint sounds of battle going around him, a smirk formed on his face while Konohamaru's snores and muttering about beating Naruto-sempai for the Hokage-title. Sasuke got up having had enough of his brooding over his goals , checking the traps that Konohamaru had created.

With his sharp eyes he could see some of the mistakes that Konohamaru had done but with further analysis Sasuke soon discovered that they were purposely done to cover a web of 50 different traps. Sasuke let out a small chuckle at the ingenuity of his younger teammate. 'No doubt the teaching of the prankster...Uzumaki Naruto..' Sasuke thought. Something suddenly caught his eye , seeing some movement from 30 feet away, Sasuke closed his eyes and used his other senses to see who was spying on him.

He could sense three chakra signatures hiding behind some bushes. With a smirk Sasuke just let the three intruders watch , not knowing who was spying on them. He waited for them to make their move, Konohamaru's traps will be enough...for now. Sasuke just sat back until he felt something sharp behind him. Sasuke turned his head to see the remains of his weapon. 'That's another thing that piece of snake dung is going to pay for...' Sasuke thought as his mind drifted off to possible battle plans for the intruders spying on his team.

After three hours of waiting the intruders finally decided to show themselves to the seemingly sleeping Uchiha. They sent a squirrel with an explosive tag attached to its back. Sasuke's eyes opened at the site of the rodent scurrying towards him. Pulling out a kunai, the Uchiha survivor nonchalantly threw the kunai at the squirrel's path scaring the rodent out of its wits. Sasuke quickly got up from where he was sitting , picking up a pebble on his way up and throwing it at the sleeping Konohamaru. "Oi Gaki wake up we have company..."

"Wha-what? Damnit Teme I'm still trying to get some shut eye...Tell them to come back when the sun is out..." Konohamaru grumbled as he shifted his position , trying to get back to sleep. Sasuke sweat dropped at the response that the boy had given him, grumbling Sasuke picked up another pebble and threw it at Konohamaru again. This earned him a yelp from the boy who had fallen from the tree branch he was slumbering on.

"Damnit Sasuke-Teme i told you I wanted 5 more minutes.."Konohamaru whined as he got up from where he fell. his eyes on the three nins that had leaped out of the bushes. Sasuke meanwhile had whacked Konohamaru for the bastard comment. "Erm Sasuke...how long have they been watching us?" Konohamaru asked finally noticing the way the nins that were scowling at him.

Konohamaru observed the intruders , checking their Hitai'ate's which had a musical note engraved into the metal. "Oto-nins? What do you want?" Konohamaru asked, his hands inching to his weapon which he finally had a name for Leviathan Rod after one of the weapons in his favorite manga 'Ragnarok'. Konohamaru noticed that the mummy looking oto-nin seemed to be the leader while the stupid looking one and the female were subordinates.

"We're here to kill Uchiha Sasuke..." The mummified oto-nin announced , immediately moving towards Sasuke and Konohamaru. Sasuke had a smirk when he heard the wires snap when the oto-nin took the third step. Kunais and shurikens flew from hidden traps slicing thru the air towards the alarmed Oto team before the stupid-looking one brought out his two arms towards the flying projectiles before yelling out "ZANKUUHA!" Sasuke and Konohamaru had shocked looks on their faces when a air blast from the stupid-looking nins arms shot a humongous amount of air scattering the blades to different trees.

"Konohamaru...protect Sakura no matter what..." Sasuke said as two other traps were sprung letting lose the logs to come crashing down towards the Oto team but the same-nin performed the same technique , obliterating the logs to splinters. Konohamaru just grunted as he moved back to where they had Sakura hidden from view. Sasuke stepped forward as he analyzed his opponents, from what he could see they were hunting him down...for reasons he did not know.

"Dosu...I want to fight him..." The stupid-looking oto-nin said as he directed both of his arms exposing his palms which had air vents at the center. Sasuke's eyebrow rose a few millimeters at the air vents. The mummified oto-nin let out a chuckle and said not to take too long, which earned him a grin from the stupid-looking nin. 'ZANKUUHA!" The nin known as Zaku cried as he sent his chakra filled air blast towards the charging Sasuke.

Sasuke leaped to the left but the girl from their team came out of nowhere armed with senbon. Sasuke twisted in mid-air to dodge the senbon but it also put him in a vulnerable position. "Zankuuha!" A voice below him called out sending another blast of air pressure at Sasuke. Zaku had a triumphant smirk on his face when he heard Sasuke's cry of pain but it quickly disappeared when the falling Sasuke disappeared leaving behind a log with three explosive notes attached.

'Kuso!' Zaku thought as the notes incinerated and exploded , sending him flying backwards from the blast. He felt his left arm burn from the blast as he rolled right before Dosu. "You bastard..." Zaku cursed as he got up and threw a pair of kunais from his holster. Dosu meanwhile decided to attack the boy Sasuke had left behind, he leaped towards the boy followed closely by Kin.

"Konoha Senpuu!" A voice cried out from Dosu's left , he turned his head only to see a green blur before crashing to the ground from the powerful round house kick that was delivered to him. Dosu recovered easily , holding onto his side from the attach. The mummified-nin glared at the new arrival who wore a green jumpsuit and seemed to have caterpillars above his eyes instead of eyebrows. "Who the hell are you?" Dosu asked.

"The new arrival gave him a too cheerful smile before replying "My name is Rock Lee. Konoha's beautiful green beast" Lee introduced as he moved into his lotus fighting stance. Sasuke landed beside him a short glance at the green clad genin before returning his gaze at the Oto-nins. "SASUKE-KUN WHAT HAS HAPPEND TO THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWER SAKURA-CHAN?" Lee asked , his round eyes never leaving the oto-nins.

"Someone attacked us...Sakura saved me by pushing me away...she took the blow for me..." Sasuke replied with a sweat drop at the loudness of Lee's voice, his eyes turning red his Sharingan flaring to life at the very thought of Orochimaru. lee nodded in reply before disappearing from Sasuke's side only to appear below Dosu and kicking him in the chin sending him high into the air. Sasuke followed suite attacking Zaku with taijutsu as well. 

Sasuke quickly found out that Zaku was weak in taijutsu because of the air vents in his arms. Sasuke turned his gaze to Dosu as Lee disappeared again only to appear behind Dosu in mid-air. Fascinated by Lee's technique Sasuke would have watched some more if it wasn't for Zaku sending another air blast at him. Dodging quickly Sasuke quickly performed a series of handseals before blowing a barrage of fireballs. "Katon Housenka no jutsu!"

Zaku smirked as he use his Zankuuha to extinguish the flames but he failed to notice that Sasuke had hidden shurikens and kunais within the flames. Zaku cursed, wincing in pain as some of the projectiles hit his arms and shoulders. Dosu meanwhile wasn't fairing too well , his world was spinning as earth came crashing into him. Lee piled rived Dosu into the ground which had suddenly swollen up and caught them in a sort of a cushion.

Lee came out of the cushion wobbly, while Sasuke threw a punch at Zaku who had buried his hand on the ground to save Dosu from Lee's devastating taijutsu technique. Konohamaru meanwhile pulled out his staff and was fighting Kin who had snuck up on him to try and take him as a hostage. Lee rushed at the still wobbly Dosu , throwing a punch at the mummified nin when Dosu took a step back and threw a punch of his own. Lee out of reflex leaped back letting the metallic object attached to Dosu's arm brush pass him.

Immediately Lee felt the world around him spin as he fell to the ground, the breakfast he had earlier coming back. Dosu had a smirk behind the bandages, watching in glee at the sight of Lee vomiting his morning meal at his feet. Konohamaru meanwhile had several Kage bunshins attack Kin. the girl thinking that Konohamaru wasn't much of a taijutsu fighter came close in hope of escaping the wrath of the boy's quarterstaff. When she got close the sound girl got the shock of her life when Konohamaru used his ham sized hand to punch her. Kin felt the air escape her lungs as she slammed right into Zaku.

Konohamaru breathed hard , feeling the exhaustion from the previous battle they had a few hours ago with Orochimaru. He still wasn't feeling a hundred percent after that fight and was currently low on chakra after creating 4 Kage bunshins and using a chakra enhanced punch. He cast a worried glance at Lee when Zaku out of rage sent a Zankuuha slicing towards him. Konohamaru tried to leap away but due to his exhaustion he wasn't able to, Sasuke was also not faring well with Dosu and Zaku double teaming him.

Konohamaru tried to get up but his body struggle to muster up energy to get up. Zaku was walking towards him while Dosu was still fighting Sasuke who was dodging as much as he can trying to avoid Dosu's vibrating sound speaker. Konohamaru closed his eyes when Zaku came close to him. The air around the area they were in suddenly felt heavy as a evil and yet familiar chakra skyrocketed from behind Konohamaru.

Konohamaru quickly turned around , not noticing that Zaku and Dos were also looking at what was standing behind him. Sasuke meanwhile cast a glance at the now awakened Sakura. Both male members of team 7 felt the sudden shift of Sakura's chakra, they also noticed the strange mark on her forehead glowing purple before spreading all over her body as she emitted eerie purplish black chakra.

'What the hell?' were both Sasuke and Konohamaru's thoughts when Sakura's voice which almost sounded like her inner personality asked them a question. "Sasuke-kun...Konohamaru-kun...who did that to you?' Sakura asked as the chakra around them moved in a swirling pattern , more petal shape marks spreading all over her body.  
Dosu meanwhile tried to hide his fear from what he was seeing. 'Kuso...I thought the Uchiha was suppose to receive the curse seal not the girl...This is bad...Orochimaru sent us out here to be killed that bastard...'

"We did" Zaku boasted pointing a finger to his chest, Dosu cursed at his side , whispering for Zaku to shut up. Zaku gave an annoyed look at Dosu , completely ignoring Dosu's warning. "Che I don't care what you're doing but you and those three btches are going down..." Zaku proclaimed as he directed his air vents towards Sakura who had started walking towards him. "Die Btch..ZANKUUKYUHA!" Zaku cried as he poured a huge amount of his chakra into his air vents sending a much more powerful air blast.

When the smoke cleared after the attack Zaku let out a chuckle at the sight. There was not a single trace of Sakura or teammates. "See Dosu...I told you I could take care of them..." Zaku said in a sneer but he never heard Dosu's reply because Sakura's voice came from above them. Zaku growled in frustration when he caught sight of the pink haired Kunoichi who was beside her teammates.

Sakura disappeared from her spot , appearing on the ground running towards Zaku. Zaku smirked at the stupidity of the girl as he released another blast of air. his smirk disappeared when Sakura did the unexpected and tore thru the air blast like it was nothing yelling out her attack. "Senbon Sakura RENDA" Sakura roared in a voice which didn't sound like her own , instead of the usual blue chakra claws that usually sprouted from her retractable claws, black chakra claws with a length of 10 inches were slicing thru the Zankuuha.

Zaku cried in pain as Sakura began to slice at his arms , the black petal like marks on her body glowing a menacing red as she attacked him some more. "You're proud of these arms aren't you? and You like inflicting pain? Try having a monthly period." Sakura screamed as she continued to attack the already unconscious Zaku. Two pairs of hands caught Sakura's shoulder, Sakura flinched at the touch on her shoulder as she started to calm down , the black marks retreating to her forehead. Sakura collapse on the ground , Sasuke catching her just as two nins leaped down from the branches above landing beside the unconscious Lee.

The remaining conscious Oto-nin Dosu Kinuta stood there shaking at what he just witnessed. he reached into his pocket and pulled out his earth scroll. He faced Sasuke holding out the scroll to the Uchiha. "Uch-Uchiha-san...We are no longer able to fight...please accept this as a peace offering for ..now..." Dosu said as he placed the scroll on the ground and left dragging his two teammates with him. "The next time we meet..We will not back down..." Dosu said as he disappeared into the forest dragging Zaku and Kin with Zaku's head hitting the rocks on the ground in Dosu's haste.

Sasuke let out a sigh of relief when Dosu left but he immediately tensed up when he remembered the two new arrivals. he turned to face them after picking up the scroll. He watch as the female ,who had her hair tied in a bun and was wearing an oriental style of clothing ,was slapping Lee trying to wake the energetic genin , while the Hyuuga was looking at the waking Sakura. "Wha-What happend?" Sakura asked as she got up but quickly fell down after her body refused to respond.

"I'll explain later..."Sasuke said as he turned to the Hyuuga who was still looking at Sakura before returning his gaze at Sasuke. "You want something?" Sasuke asked but the Hyuuga just snorted and started walking away. The girl on their team had finally woken up Lee who immediately went ranting about Youth Power and other such things.   
"What scroll do you have?" Sasuke asked again and the Hyuuga ignored his question.

"We-we have a Heaven scroll...Uchiha-san.." The girl replied in a stutter while trying to hide her blush from Sasuke. Sasuke rolled his eyes from the way the girl was looking at him before holding out the earth scroll that Dosu had given them. The girl had a surprise look on her face when Sasuke had handed the scroll to her. The girl tried to protest knowing that Neji would never approve of being given the scroll.

"Don't worry we already have our scroll...plus you guys seem strong and I want to fight strong people in the future..." Sasuke explained as he turned to his side , checking if Konohamaru and Sakura were okay. Seeing as they were just trying to rest up Sasuke tossed the scroll to the girl before leaping up to the trees towards the tower. Konohamaru and Sakura with a nod of thanks to Lee, followed Sasuke's lead towards the tower.

Team 7 traveled towards the tower at a fast pace not wanting to catch anymore unwanted attention. On their way there , Sasuke filled in Konohamaru and Sakura on what happend while Sakura was out. Konohamaru already knew most of what happend since Sasuke had explained it to him earlier. "So...that grass-nin we fought escaped after the arrival of Komodo Dragons?" Sakura asked as she tightened the knot on her hitai'ate securing the cloth to not reveal the curse seal that was now placed on her forehead. 'Great Ino-pig is going to make fun of me now...' Sakura thought with a sigh, her body felt exhausted and she couldn't feel her chakra reserves returning..

Soon Team 7 reached the edge of the forest with the first floor of the tower could be seen. Nodding to each other Konohamaru , Sasuke and Sakura leaped from the tree they were standing on and landed on the ground only to break to a full run towards the tower despite their exhausted state. Arriving at the sealed doors, Konohamaru quickly tore the seal on the door handles and quickly pushing the door open.

Once inside Team 7 looked around trying to find any signs of life but only found a large tablet that had instructions in a form of a poem. Sakura sat down on the ground relieved to be done with the second exam, casting a glance at the tablet she read it silently while Sasuke held onto the two scrolls that they had. "Sasuke-kun...toss the Earth Scroll to Konohamaru-kun.." Sakura instructed which the Uchiha survivor did. "Now open the scrolls at the same time..." After the two opened the scroll smoke began to emit from the scrolls.

"Kuso!... Konohamaru toss the scroll to the ground.. It's a two part summoning scroll of sorts" Sasuke yelled as he tossed the scroll on the ground with the Earth scroll landing on top of the scroll. With a loud bang smoke erupted from the two scrolls as someone appeared before them. Sasuke and Konohamaru quickly moved infront of the still sitting Sakura ready to defend their teammate. From the smoke a brown haired-Chuunin emerged with a grin on his face, his hands wiping the sweat from his scarred nose.

"Iruka-sensei..." Team 7 greeted with relief on their voices. The academy teacher grinned at them congratulating Team 7 on passing the second stage of the Chuunin Selection Exam. The scarred Chuunin then lead team 7 to a room where they could rest. Sakura and Konohamaru immediately dived into one of the futons to sleep. Sasuke meanwhile let out a sigh as he took the chair from the side of the room and sat down to rest.

"You guys stay here and rest...I'll inform Naruto-dono that you guys have arrived." Iruka announced as he closed the door leaving Team 7 to get some much needed sleep. An hour later a knock on their door woke up the occupants, rubbing the sleep from their eyes Team 7 tried to compose themselves as Naruto entered the room. Following Naruto were Sandaime Hokage and the second examiner.

"Hokage-sama...Naruto-sempai" Team 7 greeted in unison as they stood at attention. Naruto waved at them to relax which they complied immediately.

"Congratulations in passing the second stage...' The Hokage said with a gentle smile. Team 7 beamed although they were still lacking in energy. "From the reports of Mitarashi Anko and your jounin sensei...You met a S-rank criminal in the forest..." As Sandaime said this Sakura's hand inched its way towards her forehead. "and from what Naruto-kun has told and what the person who did that to you...He left Haruno-san a little gift" Sarutobi continued with a thoughtful look on his wrinkled face.

"Hokage-sama...what does Orochimaru want?" Sasuke asked moving towards Sakura to try and comfort her. The Hokage looked at Sasuke for a moment before replying.

"My old pupil...my foolish pupil...has this sick dream of learning every jutsu in the world...also an ambition of being immortal" Sarutobi began while Sasuke stood there deep in thought what it meant. "for that purpose...Orochimaru has created a series of kinjutsu...an immortality jutsu and the curse seal which gives power to those inflicted with the seal...but it comes at a price of the victim's life...1/10th of a chance in survival...Consider yourself lucky Haruno-san..."

"bu-but Hokage-sama with all due respect... I don't want this vile thing on my forehead! being ridiculed for having a large forehead is enough! having this seal isn't helping it either!" Sakura said in anger the curse seal flashing, her inner personality agreeing with her in a dark tone. Naruto watched his team, observing their situation. He stayed silent tuning out Sakura's rant, his eyes traveling from Sasuke to Konohamaru then to Sakura.

"Orochimaru is after Sasuke...and I can figure out why..." Naruto finally spoke surprising Sakura and her teammates when they realized that Naruto was still there. Sasuke turned to Naruto, his eyebrows raised to asking why him. "Sasuke...when you fought Orochimaru...didn't you notice how he kept on praising you for your eyes?" Naruto said , the Uchiha survivor's eyes widening in realization as to why the snake-sannin was after him.

"As for Sakura...removing the curse seal will only lead to her death...a containment seal can be used to stop the staining of her mind...judging from how her Inner personality hasn't surface yet... I would think that the curse seal isn't affecting Sakura's state of mind but it is starting to affect and invade her inner personality...and hindering her control over her chakra..." Naruto said his analysis of the situation. Anko meanwhile had a confused look as to what Naruto meant by inner personality.

"Good Analysis Naruto-kun...but a containment seal relies on the person's will and determination...also there is no one who has that much knowledge on seals.." Sarutobi replied while trying to think up of a plan to help the pink haired Kunoichi. Naruto was silent again for a few minutes before listing off a few people he knew who was capable of creating and making seals.

"I may have found a solution...although I'll have to rummage thru Father's notes...A containment and chakra conversion seal...Might as well use Ochi's gift for the best.." Naruto said with a soft smile to his team giving them an assuring smile that he was going to help them. "Sakura...when you are fully rested ...We'll start with the sealing process It will only take a full 48 hours...Sasuke...Konohamaru take care of Sakura until she is well rested..contact me when she is at full strength...Do not leave this room unless you are escorted by ANBU...There is still 72 hours left to this exam..use it to rest or train..perfect your techniques or chakra control...just remember what I told you about not leaving the room ." Naruto said in a commanding tone, Team 7 nodded in affirmation.

Sarutobi nodded at what Naruto just said and quickly left the room with Anko feeling that Naruto had the situation under control. After the Hokage had left Naruto gave them instructions on what to do before telling them to get some rest and conserve their chakra and energy for the next part of the exam. With that Naruto left Team 7 to discuss among themselves while he and the Hokage began preparations for the seals to be done on Sakura a few hours later.

Time jump to Three days later. With the presence of Tsunade , Naruto and Sandaime they had Hatake Kakashi place a containment seal on Sakura to not let the curse seal further spread its influence. As Naruto had predicted Sakura was out for two days because of the strain and draining of her chakra. Naruto , Sasuke and Konohamaru observed Sakura's progress and how the seal was holding up. With a satisfied report on the return of her chakra at a rapid rate , Naruto gave Sakura the okay to start preparing for the next stage.

The second stage of the Chuunin Selection exam had finally ended with 7 teams making it to the tower. The first team to arrive was from Suna setting a record of four hours the fastest in history. The next team was from Konoha, Yuuhi Kurenai's Team 8 with a record of 14 hours and the third record also from Konoha Uzumaki Naruto's team 7 with a record of 48 hours.

All of the teams were gathered in the central chamber where the Hokage and all of the jounin-senseis stood at attention. The Hokage then proceeded to explain the significance of the Chuunin Selection exam. Most of the genin teams tuned out the old man's words their eyes wandering to the other genins in the room sizing them up.  
A sick looking jounin suddenly leaped infront of the Hokage landing in a kneeling manner. Sasuke immediately recognized the sick jounin who had announced that there were too many genins for the Finals.

The sick looking jounin, known as Gekkou Hayate faced the 7 teams that were gathered inside the tower. "cough As I told Hokage-sama Cough.. There are a lot of genins who passed the second exam. We have cough concluded that before the Third and Cough Final Test which are one on one matches. Cough We will be holding the preliminaries exam" The special jounin said in a barely audible tone. "Those of you who are in need cough to medical services and cough dont feel fit in participating in the next test may raise cough your hand."

A hand came up from the far right followed by a voice "I'd like to quit the exam." Most of the genins and jounin present turned their attention towards the silver haired genin who had just quit. "The second stage is enough for me..." The silver haired genin said, all eyes of the higher ups were looking at him curiously. Sandaime had a twinkle in his eye when he made a brief eye-contact with the eldest genin in the assembly.

"Your name?" Hayate asked as he pulled out a clipboard from Anko to check the name off as a quitter.

"Yakushi Kabuto" The silver haired genin responded idly pushing his glasses back into place with the tip of his finger. Naruto , Anko and Ibiki watched Kabuto talk some minor chit chat with his teammates before leaving the arena.

"Now that cough there are no more cough quitters...we will cough start the preliminary cough matches." Hayate announce getting back everyone's attention. With a slight pause , Hayate pulled out a rectangular box from one of his pockets and pushed a button. Two panels slid out of the wall to reveal a black screen. "If cough you would please direct your attention to the screen we will now see who will fight first."

Everyone's attention were trained on the flashing screen , watching names flash for a few seconds before changing. the screen kept on beeping making everyone in the room anxious on who would fight first. Finally the screen slowly stopped beeping , the names flashing infront of the first persons to fight.

Akadou Yoroi VS Haruno Sakura

"Will those whose name Cough are shown on the cough screen remain..." Hayate announced , his eyes looking at the assembly who had not moved at all.

Everyone blinked at the screen before Sandaime coughed and Hayate told the respective Jounin's to usher their teams to the balcony. Naruto went to Team 7, telling Konohamaru and Sasuke to go first while he talked to Sakura. When Konohamaru and Sasuke were out of earshot Naruto then whispered something to Sakura. "Remember the seal isn't done yet...so use your chakra wisely or finish the fight quickly...and don't let activate the curse seal or ANBU will kill you before you can blink." Naruto said casting a short glance at Sakura's opponent. "True strength of a Shinobi lies in life-risking battles...true strength in a person comes from protecting precious ones...Now show these people that you've grown up Sakura" 

After that advice Naruto gave Sakura a cheerful grin before climbing up the stairs towards the balcony leaving Sakura with Hayate and her opponent. "The only rules are there are no rules...I will end the match when one is unconscious or surrenders or dead." Hayate said before holding out his hand signalling both combatants to be ready. "Hajime!' With those words Sakura and Yoroi leaped backwards distancing themselves from each other.

Naruto leaned against the wall while the others watched Sakura's match. Naruto closed his eyes tuning out everyone as he stepped inside his mind. When he opened his eyes again Naruto was infront of Kyuubi's cage where the great youkai was sleeping. "Are you awake?" Naruto asked staring straight into the dark cage where the sounds of breathing could be heard.

"**Yes I'm awake Naruto**..." came Kyuubi's voice, two large crimson orbs stared back at Naruto who just nodded in reply.

"How are you?" Naruto inquired while he created a chair and sat down waiting for the other entity with him to come inside the chambers. The Kyuubi let out a yawn creating a large gust of wind inside the room.

"**I'm doing fine although I'm still tired from what we just experienced...I might not be able to supply you with as much chakra right now...draining the effects of that five Element seal took a large size of my chakra**.." Kyuubi said letting his tails flick at the bars of the gate causing ripples to occur. "**The seals are strong again and aren't disrupting it's normal functions**...**Thank the big boobied healer slug woman for me Naruto**" The Kyuubi said the last part with a perverted giggle.

"Mmmhhmmm I guess that's good...and I'll tell her that...perverted fox..." Naruto said with a grin when Zanpaku finally stepped into the room. The black clad entity nodded in greeting to Naruto which the blonde jounin returned. Naruto began to inspect Kyuubi's cage to see if what Kyuubi said was true.

"Naruto-sama...The match between your subordinate is getting interesting..." Zanpaku spoke, nodding to Kyuubi in respect although Kyuubi just growled in annoyance before turning it's back on the two. Grumbling could be heard from the great beast, If Zanpaku had heard it he chose to ignore the light whining of the Bijuu.

"Oh and Naruto...I sense an old acquaintance of mine nearby...A fellow trickster...Be careful...he seems to be unstable right now" Kyuubi said in a chuckle as if remembering his past. Naruto took a look at the great gate that held Kyuubi before walking out of the chambers but not before saying. "Understood..."

Zanpaku watched as Naruto left the room before turning his attention back to Kyuubi. **'So When are you going to really tell Naruto your real name?" **Kyuubi's voice came in a whisper the beast afraid that his vessel might find out that Zanpaku wasn't really the spirits name.

"When Naruto-sama is ready...For now he is too young to handle both your power and mine...In a few years or so...maybe..." Zanpaku said with a small smile on his face before walking out of the room leaving Kyuubi alone again.

"**Well yeah me too...I'd like to see the kid become something great...even greater than ...than...Bah...I am not saying his name as if I'm praising him**!" Kyuubi said to himself , grumbling about getting too soft ever since he was stuck in a flesh-bag.

Naruto opened his eyes in the real world , watching the match between Sakura and Yoroi. Sakura was breathing hard and kunais littered the ground. Her opponent Akadou Yoroi had his arm out which was glowing. Naruto's eyes narrowed when he saw what Akadou Yoroi was doing. Yoroi kept on advancing on Sakura who was trying to avoid Yoroi's glowing hand.

Sakura quickly took a step back , throwing her remaining kunai at Yoroi who had dodged the kunai again. 'Shit out of Kunais...I can't waste my chakra...and this guy' Sakura thought , maneuvering her body to the right , sending her left leg crashing into Yoroi's gut. 'He's draining my chakra with that hand of his' She heard Yoroi gasp in pain before the man grabbed her by the forehead and began to suck her chakra again.

Sakura screamed as she felt her chakra start to deplete and the curse seal begin to hurt. Sakura quickly kicked Yoroi again making the older genin let go of her. From the background Sakura could hear those who know her cheer. She caught a glimpse of her teammate Konohamaru and his two ham size arms along with Naruto's curious gaze.. Sakura smirked when she suddenly got an idea on how to end the fight. Thinking up of a fast plan , Sakura stopped and gathered some of the remaining chakra to her leg.

Yoroi came charging towards Sakura when the pink haired Kunoichi suddenly stopped and sent her heel crashing on the ground. The tiles flew up into the air cutting at Yoroi's cheek. Sakura's visage now had a grin, she then started releasing the weights on her legs before dashing towards her tittering opponent leaving a cloud of dust and a trail of pink streaks. Yoroi recovered quickly from his initial shock but it was already far too late Sakura was in range for an attack.

From the balcony above all of the Konoha Jounin's had shocked looks imprinted on their visage. one thing were all on their minds 'That's...' They watch as Sakura dodged Yoroi's attempt to catch her before clenching her fist and 6 inches of chakra blades grew from her knuckles. "Senbon Sakura Renda!" Sakura proclaimed as she started her frenzy of wild swipes at her opponent.

Yoroi grunted as the blades cut thru his clothes and skin but honor bound by the task that Orochimaru had given him. Yoroi quickly sidestep to escape Sakura attack and try to catch her from behind. Sakura could barely stay conscious , she could feel most of her chakra gone from the last attack and the pain on her forehead intensifying every passing second. 'Shit! Not now...' Sakura thought as dark chakra began to seep into her body, she could feel the petal like marks forming from the seal.

Sakura mentally restrained the seal urging it to back down all the while gathering the last of her chakra to her fist. Just as the curse seal returned to its dormant state her Inner personality decided to show off it's own power. Yoroi came in with his hand glowing ready to suck out Sakura's chakra. Yoroi then saw Sakura's face which if it hadn't been a life-risking battle Yoroi would have been soiled his pants. Sakura had an insane look on her visage that gave a message 'Touch me and I rip your spine out of your ass'

'SHONNARO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" Inner Sakura screamed as she pulled her fist back and rammed her glowing fist right into Yoroi's face. Yoroi flew from where he stood to the far wall where an imprint of his body could be seen. Sakura was breathing hard, most of her chakra gone and the curse seal started to return the pain growing. Hayate walked over to the crumpled Yoroi , checking if the older genin was still conscious. Hayate had a smile on his sickly face when he found none along with a broken nose and a broken jaw.

"Cough...Winner Haruno Sakura!" Hayate announced before signalling for the medic teams to collect the unconscious Yoroi and the winner of the bout. "Cough Medic teams please check if Haruno-san has any injuries..." Hayate said which the medic teams immediately complied. Hayate started the black screen again while Naruto collected the sleeping Sakura.

Naruto carried Sakura up the stairs , noticing that most of her fellow rookies except her teammates were casting weird looks on her. "How is she Naruto?" Kurenai asked trying to hold back the rest of the rookies. Naruto gave her one of his grins before laying the pink haired Kunoichi in a sitting position beside her teammates.

"She's doing fine just exhaustion at least the containment seal held...and her training paid off" Naruto said in a cheerful tone clearly happy that Sakura had passed the preliminaries. Yamanaka Ino of Team 8 watched her rival win the match, Ino stared in disbelief as Sakura punched the older dude into a wall. Ino also noticed the black marks on her forehead which quickly disappeared. Her rival was taking her job as a Kunoichi much more seriously than she had thought.

'What the hell did Naruto do to that girl?' were Asuma and the other's present thoughts. They knew that Naruto took training seriously but they never imagined that the boy could make the pink haired girl who at her time at the academy was completely useless and only a hindrance to any team turn to a strong Kunoichi. Naruto had a grin on his face as his eyes roamed around the chamber , watching the looks on everyone's face at how much Sakura has progress. 'you guy's haven't seen nothing yet...' Naruto thought with a smirk his eyes directed to the two remaining genin members of Team 7.

Lee was in heaven when he watched Sakura in action, he could feel her youthful passion burst thru as she came out triumphant in a battle she couldn't have won due to her inexperience. Lee cheered loudly together with Sakura's teammates, the bowl cut boy also stared at the Jounin-sensei of Team 7. Blonde hair , black clothing and a large sword carried on his back. 'He had heard about Team 7's Jounin commander. Hatake Kakashi's adopted younger brother and ANBU Division Captain at the age of 12 thus surpassing Uchiha Itachi's achievement.

'Naruto-sempai shines with youthful passion and his power glows brightly but he doesn't outshine Gai sensei!' Lee thought happily , a blazing flame could be seen in his round eyes. The green clad genin turned to his idol with pride and admiration. he flashed a toothy grin before giving Gai the trademark nice guy pose. "LEE!' Gai shouted joining the green clad genin in his nice guy pose.

Everyone ignored the shouting match turning their attention to the second match of the preliminaries. "Cough...The second match is between Aburame Shino vs. Kankurou of the Sand" Hayate announced calling the two genins to come down into the arena. The two combatants came down from opposite balconies, both of them glaring at each other.

Once the two of them were face to face with each other Hayate immediately started the match. Kankurou dropped the large bandage package he had from his back, with a confident smirk he waited for his opponent to attack. Shino stood there his hands inside his pockets, his glasses covered eyes observed his opponent. Shino could hear the buzzing that his destruction bugs were giving off when they detected an outside source of chakra nearby. Shino hid his smirk behind his collar then spoke his first warning to Kankurou. 

"Give up...If you fight here...you won't be able to get up for a week.." Shino said still standing his ground waiting for Kankurou to make the first move. Kankurou's glare intensified as he rushed Shino throwing a punch aimed at his head. Shino merely raised an arm to block the punch, with that single punch, Shino felt the difference between skin and hard wood. Kankurou quickly went behind Shino and wrapped both arms around the Aburame Heir.

"How about you give up?" Kankurou said with a grin as he started to squeeze Shino. From up the balcony the members of the sand team had annoyed looks on their faces. 'Kankurou isn't taking this fight seriously' were Baki and Temari's thoughts Gaara' were on the lines of Kankurou is an idiot. Shino did not respond to Kankurou's taunt in words but he quickly drew his arm forward and drove his elbow back , the sound of wood cracking could be heard.

This only caused Kankurou to squeeze harder as sand began to fall from his face revealing the distorted face of a puppet. All of the rookie genin had looks of horror when they saw that Shino was holding the wrong opponent. Kiba and Kurenai had knowing smirks on their faces when destruction bugs began to flow out of Shino's body and the boy also began to melt into bugs. The wrapped package began to unravel the bandages revealing Kankurou who wasn't looking too happy about being discovered. Kankurou also had a look of horror when he felt his chakra being drained at a rapid pace.

The destruction bugs was now completely covering Kankurou's puppet, some of the destruction bugs were already traveling down the chakra strings eating their way towards Kankurou. "As I said when the match started...forfeit or be rendered unconscious" A voice from behind Kankurou spoke. Kankurou turned his head to look at his opponent along with two clones who had six kunais aimed at specific points in Kankurou's body.

Kankurou gritted his teeth as he released his chakra strings and held his hand up in defeat. "Winner Aburame Shino" Hayate announced earning cheers from the Konoha genins.

'Damnit...I can still fight but if I'm injured I'll be useless in the invasion...' Kankurou thought as he collected Karasu and began rewrapping the bandages around the puppet and making his way back up. On his way up he could feel Gaara's cold and dark stare, Kankurou shivered at the feeling. When he arrived on their spot Temari immediately began to berate him on his stupidity when her ranting was stopped suddenly. Gaara stepped forward sand sinking down on the floor and moving towards him. "Don't fail again...or I'll kill you..."

Kankurou gulped at those words and mumbled an affirmative to his younger brother, as much as he cared for Gaara he was still scared shitless of the boy's power. Everyone else ignored this weird exchange between psycho brothers and psming sisters because everyone's attention were on the next combatants.

Uchiha Sasuke VS Dosu Kinuta

Sasuke had a smirk on his face when he saw the name of his opponent. Dosu also had a hidden smirk behind his bandages visage thoughts of revenge came into mind. Hayate eyed the two genin before stepping back and starting the match. Most of the rookie genin and jounin-senseis watched in earnest at the match of the Uchiha Survivor.

"No running away this time..." Sasuke simply said as Dosu gave him a snort before lashing out with his metallic arm. Sasuke quickly leaped backwards making sure that he was at a distance. Dosu followed Sasuke although the sound-nin was barely able to keep up. Sasuke observed his opponent as he continued to dodge. From what he could see Dosu did not have any other techniques except the Kyoumeisen. 

'Damn...I can't get close and I hope he cant use a long range version of that Sound wave attack...I got to finish this fast..' Sasuke thought as he quickly leaped over Dosu and sending a kick at Dosu's head. The mummified-genin brought his gauntlet arm forward to send a sound wave at Sasuke. The Uchiha smirked, his hand catching the sound-nin's hand in mid punch. His smirk was turned to a look of shock when he suddenly felt the vibration of Dosu's attack.

Sasuke fell to his knees, his stomach wanting to vomit it's contents. 'Crap this guy...' Sasuke closed his eyes , gritting his teeth as he subdued the pain and dizziness on his head. In the background all of the Konoha-nins were cheering Sasuke on, Naruto just watched before he leaned close to the rails and shouted. "Sasuke...what the hell are you doing?" The statement from Team 7's Jounin commander seem to have snapped Sasuke back.

Sasuke looked up seeing the stare from Naruto and his teammate who was watching and cheering him on. Dosu came rushing forward to finish of Sasuke with a kunai. The Uchiha survivor ducked below Dosu's kunai and sent a vertical kick to Dosu's chin sending the genin up into the air. From the balcony three people recognized the move, Naruto's eyes narrowed when he saw Sasuke disappear from the ground.

'That's my...!' Lee thought as Sasuke flawlessly copied the Konoha Kage Buyou, getting behind Dosu for a follow up attack. Dosu quickly brought his hand up to try and twist his body in the air. 'This time it's original' Sasuke seeing this finished the handseals he was doing. "Katon:Goukakyou no jutsu!" Sasuke proclaimed , sending a large fireball pointblank at Dosu's body. Dosu's body was then engulfed by the red hot flames of Sasuke's signature fire jutsu. Reaching the peak of his first kick, Sasuke felt gravity return its claim on his and Dosu's body. 

Everyone watched as the flame started to burn thru the bandages that covered Dosu's body. Sasuke noticing that the bandages, were protecting Dosu from the flames. Switching to Taijutsu, Sasuke sent a kick to Dosu's side then another kick and a punch before wrapping the still struggling sound-nin with the remaining wires he had. Sasuke then jumped backwards somersaulting, twisting the wires around.

Sasuke landed on the ground as he pulled the wires making Dosu's descent faster. With a loud crack Dosu landed on the hard floor head first. Sasuke breathed hard as his red Sharingan eyes returned to it's onyx color. Sasuke quickly pulled out a pair of kunai and threw it at Dosu's direction. the sound the metal piercing thru metal could be heard when the kunai's connected with Dosu's vibrating sound speaker thus disabling it.

Hayate raised his hand and announced Sasuke as the winner of the bout. Ino and Tenten were shouting loudly on how Sasuke had won against his opponent. Most of the jounin had looks of admiration at Sasuke's show of skill in the Sharingan. Sasuke after being checked by the medics for injuries , climbed back up to the upper level where Konohamaru and Lee congratulated the Uchiha survivor. Sasuke returned both their greeting with a smirk, the Uchiha then turned to Team 7's jounin commander who was still looking at him.

"Good Job...although next time don't copy techniques...you aren't ready for..." Naruto said giving Sasuke a fox grin before the blonde jounin turned his attention back to the screen. Sasuke had a small smile on his face before collapsing on the ground , his body in pain from the use of the Initial Gate. "You're not ready for that yet...that's why your body is reacting as it is...but since you already copied part of Lee's technique...only that part...nothing more." Sasuke nodded as the onyx eyed genin leaned against the wall to rest, casting a short glance at his pink haired teammate who still hadn't woken up.

The blank screen gave the beeping sound again, showing everyone who was going to fight next, Lee's cries of excitement echoed around the chamber when he saw who was going to fight next. Hayate coughed trying to block the shouts coming from Gai and Lee who were celebrating. Naruto , Asuma and Kurenai were covering their ears from the loud shouting of the two green clad Shinobi.

Rock Lee VS Akimichi Chouji

The Akimichi heir meanwhile was shaking in fear when he saw his name being displayed on the screen. "I-I don't wanna fight!.." Chouji stammered as he tried to gather his courage. A reassuring hand landed on his shoulder , which prompted Chouji to turn his head to Shikamaru who had a lazy grin on his face. Asuma meanwhile was trying to think up of a way to motivate Chouji.

"Shikamaru...I..I'll never be able to beat that thick brows..." Chouji said but Shikamaru just shook his head muttering how troublesome. Shikamaru just sighed , his genius brain couldn't really think of anything with out using the taboo word on Chouji. Finally after carefully thinking about his words Shikamaru began his reassurance on his best friend.

'Oi Chouji...you remember what Naruto told us when we trained together? Never give up..and you haven't even tried yet...So..just go down there and show them your stuff" Shikamaru said giving Chouji an assuring smile. "As troublesome as this exam is...it's time for you to show what you're really capable of." Shikamaru said while Ino also chose to voice out her own opinion although hers was more of a way to get the Akimichi heir pissed off.

"Oi Chouji...did you know that green clad jounin and his clone are making fun of you? I heard that Lee guy call you a fat-ass during the first exam..." Ino whispered to Chouji , winking at Shikamaru who just grumbled about troublesome women.

"Chouji...If you fight...I'll treat you to that restaurant you wanted to go to..." Asuma added , Chouji who was glaring dagger at his soon to be opponent , had a huge grin on his face when the words "Treat' came to his ears. Thoughts of 'Eat-all-you-can barbecue' came to his mind as Chouji yelled a battle cry as he made his way down towards the arena. 

Hayate quickly started the match after seeing the way Chouji was glaring at Rock Lee. "YOSH! It's my turn to finally shine! Gai-sensei is watching me!" Lee ranted while Chouji was turning red with anger.

"You'll pay for calling me a Fat-ass! I'm not fat I'm big boned!" Chouji yelled as he performed a single seal. "Baika no jutsu!" Chouji quickly grew in size and began compressing his limbs into his body. With his limbs safely tuck inside his fat, Chouji began rolling towards the still ranting Lee. "Nikudan Sensha!" Chouji yelled as he rolled over the distracted Lee.

Lee recovered with ease, quickly leaping back up and shaking his head. "Wha-Who dared hit the face of the beautiful green beast?" Lee said as he went into his stance. "Gomen Chouji-san...You caught me unprepared...It won't happen again." Lee said giving Chouji a nice guy pose before going back into his fighting stance. Lee ran straight at Chouji who still glared at the advancing boy.

"Konoha Senpuu!" Lee roared as he delivered a powerful kick to Chouji. Chouji raised his hand catching Lee's foot and swinging the thin boy to the ground. Up on the balcony Gai was shock at just how the Akimichi had easily caught Lee's foot and threw him to the ground. 'Impossible! There's no way that rookie could just pick up Lee and throw him around like a doll' Gai thought , his eyes darting to the emotionless Asuma and a cheering Naruto. 'Eh? Naruto-kun is cheering Chouji?'

Down below Lee had gotten up from where an imprint of his face can be seen on the floor. 'He's strong...naturally strong...' Lee thought as once again prepared himself to attack the Akimichi heir. Shikamaru sat back from where he was watching , seeing Chouji fight using his real strength. 'As troublesome as it is...Chouji is the strongest genin in this arena...forget strength in mind...because of the Akimichi's natural love for food they also possess natural strength...almost rivaling the strength of Tsunade-sama.'

"LEE!" Gai's voice echoed inside the chamber , the bowl cut boy quickly leaped away from his opponent to look at his sensei. "Lee! TAKE IT OFF!" Gai said proudly, showing off the shiny teeth that he had. Most of the Jounin's present had their eyebrows raise at what the loud and weird jounin meant. 'Take what off? Take off that suit?' Kurenai and Anko had disgusted looks on their faces. "LEE It's ALRIGHT I'LL ALLOW YOU TO Take OFF THE WEIGHTS" Most of the people were covering their ears while Lee had a giddy look on his face.

Unfastening the clasp to the weights strapped around his legs , Lee held the two large strip of bars before dropping them to the ground. A huge cloud of dust erupted from where the weights cause the ground to shatter , leaving two large craters, with Lee in the middle a huge grin on his face. "YOSH NOW CHOUJI-KUN I'll SHOW YOU THE POWER OF THE FLAME OF YOUTH!" Lee shouted as he disappeared from sight.

Chouji for the first time in going into the match felt fear, the bowl-cut guy was strong he'll acknowledge that but he didn't know the loud and Gai replica was holding back so much. Chouji gulp as the ground erupted flashes of green could be seen. The Akimichi heir was feeling dizzy from the way Lee ran circles around him. As if by magic Lee appeared infront of Chouji in a low crouch. Chouji quickly tried to back away to kick Lee but the green clad boy beat him to it.

Lee connected with a vertical kick to Chouji's chin sending the Akimichi Heir several meters off the ground. Seeing as his kick didn't give out the desired results it should have brought, Lee quickly followed Chouji into the air , continuing to kick the boy higher. Three packs of gourmet pork chips fell out of the chubby genin's clothes as he continued to rise higher. Chouji had his hands on a seal ready to perform his Baika no jutsu not noticing that his hidden stash of food had fallen out. Just as Chouji began to gather the much needed chakra, bandages began to cover the chubby genin.

Everyone in the balcony watch as Lee covered Chouji with the bandages in his arm and begin to spin towards the ground. Lee spun with Chouji in a devastating pile driver. Most of the participants had held their breaths at what was about to happen to the Akimichi heir. Even the members of Team 10 were worried when they saw Lee and Chouji descend towards the ground at an alarming speed. Before both of them could land Chouji did the unsuspected. "Baika no Jutsu!" 

Chouji's enlarged form tore the bandages to shreds just as they landed on the ground. Lee not wanting to give up held onto Chouji as they landed on the ground, but instead of a crash they bounced off the ground as if Chouji had become a rubber ball. Lee was thrown off Chouji when they bounce , he had not expected that they would bounce. Chouji regained his form but his eyes were swirling from being spun around.

Lee got out of the rubble from where he had crashed, he felt groggy from the impact, there were some chips scattered around the rubble. Lee had a smile on his face although he was confused why there was food on the arena, he had never fought anyone who could ever make him go all out. 'I'm sorry Gai-sensei...I want to prove to everyone here that I can be a great ninja with just Taijutsu...so I must bloom the second time...' Lee though as he prepared to open the celestial gates that he could open.

Chouji meanwhile was looking for his stack of food , feeling his clothes for them but he couldn't feel it. He searched the area but he couldn't find any then his ears sensitive only to hear the sound of food. Chouji turned towards his opponent then down to the ground where Lee stood. Scattered on the floor were his three packs of gourmet pork chips, adding two and two together. 

"YOU BASTARD YOU ATE ALL OF MY FOOD!" Chouji roared as chakra rose from his body. Lee had a confused look on his face which turned to a look of horror when Chouji extended his arms and yelled. "Bubun Baika no jutsu: ARMS" Both of Chouji's arms grew in size , his hands easily catching the still confused Lee and then proceeded to pound the sophomore genin.

Up in the balcony Asuma felt everyone from the Konoha side stare at him in disbelief while Shikamaru was following Naruto's example by banging their heads on the wall, grumbling about Chouji's stupidity. Lee felt Chouji's full strength and he was excited to have been able to battle such an opponent but Lee had activated the heal gate, raising his stamina and temporarily healing his injuries.

The Akimichi heir continued to slam Lee on the ground, wanting to end the fight as soon as possible. He hadn't even mastered the partial multi-size yet, out of pure luck and rage he had successfully pulled it off although Chouji felt his chakra reserves depleting at a rapid state. 'Shit... I'm gonna get my revenge on this guy and win this fight!' Chouji thought as his fantasy about Eat-all you-can barbecue came back to his thoughts. 'Mmmm barbecue...i can almost feel the hot beef slices in my hands...eh hot?...AAHHH MY HAND.. The guy with the caterpillars is burning my hand with his chakra!'

'THE THIRD: Life Gate OPEN!'

Lee drew his arms together, his skin turn to a reddish color as chakra exploded from his body. Chouji hastily put Lee down , shaking his hands trying to put out the burning sensation he got from the fierce chakra.

Naruto leaned on the railing , his eyes calmly observing what was happening on the arena below. He shot a glare at Gai who had come to boast about Lee already being the winner of the match. "Super-Brows ...Tell me Lee isn't going to do what I think he's going to do" Naruto said in rather serious tone. Gai just gave him a wide grin before turning back to watch the match.

'The FOURTH: Harm Gate OPEN!'

Lee let out an inhuman growl as more chakra began to seep into his muscles. Chouji although already weak from all of the fighting he had to do and no food to replenish his chakra, knew that after this last attack the match would be over. 'I'm out of chakra and I'm tired already...Maybe Asuma-sensei will still treat me even if I lose...or forfeit' Wanting to end stop the match already , Chouji started to raise his hand to forfeit. He also didn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever the caterpillar kid is going to do. "I for-" Chouji started to say but Lee had already started his technique and from the noise that Lee was giving off no one heard Chouji.

Panicking at not being heard Chouji used the remaining amount of his chakra to go into his multi-size form in hope of avoiding serious injury. Lee vanished from everyone's sights, the tiles on the floor shattering from the force of Lee's advance towards the enlarging Chouji. With a powerful kick to Chouji's round form, Lee sent the boy flying up into the air again.

Everyone watched as Lee punch and kick Chouji with his new found high speed. Team 10 and Naruto had worried look on their faces when Lee had started his technique. Gai although pleased with Lee for proving to everyone that he could be a great ninja even with taijutsu only, felt that the last technique was abit overboard. Hayate meanwhile although he could stopped the match was unable to stop the boy from starting his technique.

"URA RENGE:EXTREME LOTUS!" Lee roared, smashing his fist and foot onto Chouji's prone form. A sickening crash could be heard as both combatants fell to the ground. Silence enveloped the whole chamber as smoke flew from the debris, moments later the smoke cleared to show the unconscious form of a bleeding Chouji. Lee also lay on the ground, unmoving.

Hayate waited for a minute for any of the two to stand up but seeing that both would be unable to get up. Hayate coughed before raising his hand to announce his verdict. "Since...Akimichi-san is knocked out...and the genin Rock Lee is too injured to continue...I declare this match a draw..." After saying that Hayate immediately called for the medics.

Gai felt cold from the way Naruto stared at him icily. He could feel the killer intent being directed at him, and he couldn't even yell about the flaming passions of youth. " I don't care about the flaming passions of youth o whatever reasons you have...As much as it gave that boy a chance to excel in his only field of expertise. It may also have caused him too much even for his dream..." Naruto said in a cold serious tone , his cerulean eyes had an icy glint as he continued to talk to Konoha's resident Taijutsu Master.

"The extreme lotus is a highly dangerous technique...It is both damaging to the user and the receiver of the attack...Super-Brows you better hope Thick-brows is going to recover from this injury because...If he dies...it'll be your fault for teaching a technique knowing the consequence if it were used but since I know you have your own reasons for teaching him...just hope that Tsunade-kaasan can heal him because if she can't...you have shattered Thick-brow's dream of becoming a great Shinobi." Naruto turned around , letting his gaze fall on the huddled forms of Shikamaru , Asuma and Ino.

"How is Chouji?" Naruto asked as he joined Team 10. Ino jumped a few inches in fright. Shikamaru turned to Naruto giving him a small smile.

"Akimichi-san will live...thanks to his use of his family techniques...the fat in his body cushioned the blows of the Extreme lotus to a certain extent although because of chakra depletion and stress, Akimichi-san fell into unconsciousness just before he impacted on the ground." The medic-nin examining Chouji reported while the other medics delivered some news to Gai. From what Naruto could observe from Gai's grim expression, his earlier examination of what happend was true. 'Thick-brows' muscles snapped and the strain on his body was too much.'

"Cough...Fifth match Kin Tsuchi vs. Ten Ten"

Everyone except Gai ignored the match between the two Kunoichi, their thoughts were still on the previous fights. The Hokage and the rest of the jounin were gauging on   
both genin's abilities. With a shake of his head Sarutobi turned his attention back to the match below. Much to his chagrin, the match was just finishing. Apparently the Oto-nin Kin Tsuchi wasn't a match for Ten ten.

Bladed weapons were scattered on the arena floor, blood was dripping from the wounds that were inflicted on Kin. Ten ten had a serious look on her face as she prepare to hurl another barrage of kunais at her opponent. Kin Tsuchi now unable to hold back the pain she was feeling from her injuries and in between her lower region. Kin cried out "I Forfeit!...I can't take this anymore...Ooww..." Kin doubled over as she held onto her stomach, feeling blood flowing between her thighs. 'Curse this Dysmenorrhea!'"Cough...Winner by Dysmenorrhea...Tenten" Hayate announce quite oblivious to the murderous glares that were sent his way by the Kunoichi inside the chamber and one bowl cut Jounin who was raving about the flames of youth and the pureness of puberty. Kurenai and Anko having enough of Gai's boisterous yelling, made their way to where the green clad Jounin stood. Being oblivious to the killer intent sent his way Gai kept on raving until it was too late, Kurenai and Anko double teamed on the Jounin and pounded him into the wall.

As soon as the medics carried Kin out of the chamber, Hayate announced the next team to fight. He coughed before announcing the match as the names flashed on the screen above. "Sixth Match: Inuzuka Kiba vs. Sarutobi Konohamaru" Everyone tensed when they heard this, most of the people groaned when Kiba cheered at his luck in fighting such an opponent. Konohamaru meanwhile was grinning since it was finally his turn to fight.

"Yahoo! This is our lucky day Akamaru! We get to fight Dobe-kun!" Kiba cheered loudly, a bark accompanied his yelling as the dog-boy made his way down the stairs. Konohamaru had also gotten down and was twitching from the Dobe-kun comment Kiba made. Sending a glare to Kiba, Konohamaru tried to calm his nerves waiting for Hayate to begin the fight.

Up on the spectators , Most of the Jounin and Hokage were watching the fight curiously. Dog vs. Monkey a match that hadn't happend since Sarutobi Asuma vs. Inuzuka Hana fought in the Chuunin exams five years ago. "This should be an interesting match...Last time...Inuzuka Hana owned Asuma who had a coughing fit after inhaling the smoke from Inuzuka's smoke bomb.." Sarutobi said with a chuckle. Kurenai, Anko, Ibiki chuckled with the Hokage, glancing at the chain-smoking Jounin.

The match had started and all the two combatants did was stare each other down. They started circling each other , trying to attack if an opening showed itself. Kiba his patience growing thin. let out a frustrated growl and charged forward, ramming his elbow into Konohamaru. The boy seeing Kiba's elbow brought his arm out catching Kiba before skidding a few meters away from the dog-boy.

Konohamaru quickly brought his arms on the ground, slamming them with all of his strength. The arena floor shook from the tremor of Konohamaru's fist. Kiba unprepared by the boy's actions was sent sprawling backwards. Akamaru ready to defend his master , leaped into action , fangs bared at Konohamaru. The young Sarutobi ducked down letting Akamaru fly pass but Kiba who had regained his composure quickly rammed his elbow again to the unsuspecting Konohamaru.

"Heh...Damn dobe trying to act tough...Call the match Ref...He wont be getting up anytime soon" Kiba said with a grin, facing Hayate who had not moved an inch. Konohamaru meanwhile groaned in pain, pushing himself up from where he had landed. 'Stupid Dog-boy...' Konohamaru thought as he dusted himself off, trying not to wince in pain. Kiba turned around in shock to see Konohamaru who had a ape-like grin on his face.

"What do you mean call the match Dog-breathe? The match just started!' Konohamaru said, charging towards Kiba on all fours, using his large arms to move towards the Inuzuka boy. Kiba and Akamaru quickly leaped to the side , barely avoiding the charging Konohamaru. Kiba crouched low, his hands in a tiger handseal. 'Shikakyu no jutsu!" Kiba's appearance took to a more canine form as he charged Konohamaru.

"Tsuuga!" Kiba roared , shooting towards Konohamaru in a drill like fashion. Konohamaru alarmed by the speed that the dog-boy was moving , tried to leap out of the way. Akamaru seeing this chance in Konohamaru being too focused on Kiba leaped at Konohamaru pouncing on him. The pounce sent the two of them crashing to the ground. Akamaru let out a happy bark to its master who had a satisfied smirk on his face.

Konohamaru growl in pain as he pushed himself up, his other hand holding onto the wound that Akamaru had inflicted. 'Stupid dog...' He thought as he drew back his fist and rammed it into the ground again sending a tremor like wave in Kiba's direction. On instinct Kiba leaped into the air, Konohamaru had a grin on his face as his hand were in a cross-like handseal. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Poofs of ninja smoke appeared beside Kiba as four pairs of hands came out of the smoke, latching on to him.

Konohamaru leaped into the air, spinning three sixty degrees as he sent his left fist into Kiba's stomach. "Gori Ken!Gorilla Fist" The force of the blow sent Kiba flying into the wall, debris flying everywhere. Konohamaru landed on the ground. panting heavily from the exhaustion of forcing his body to move at such speed. He wasn't use to trying to keep up with the Inuzuka boy with his weights on. A bark from his right brought him out of his thoughts as Akamaru bit his arm in an attempt to hold the Sarutobi boy in place.

"AH RABIES!...You stupid dog! Get away from me! Get away from me you bitch!" Konohamaru yelled as he swung his arm around, slamming the pup on the arena floor. Everyone in the arena were silent , sweat drops could be seen on the back of their heads. 'Bitch? Isn't Akamaru male?' Shikamaru thought as he let out a tired sigh. Grumbling to himself he continued to watch the rather interesting match below. Naruto meanwhile was trying not to laugh at Konohamaru's language.

"You prick! What the hell did you do to Akamaru?" Kiba yelled when he got up moments later to see his pup lying beside him weak from being thrown around like a rag doll. "I'll get you for that!" Kiba growl as he popped a soldier pill into his mouth and popped two into Akamaru's muzzle. Akamaru's fur turned into a bloody red color letting out a feral growl as it leaped onto Kiba's back. "I'll finish this match once and for all! Ninpou Juujin Bunshin no Jutsu!" Kiba called out. Akamaru immediately was covered with ninja smoke.

Konohamaru meanwhile took out his Leviathan Rod and had three Kage Bunshins with him. 'I guess this is it...' Konohamaru thought as he pulled out three green strips of paper and handed them to the clones. With a knowing nod from the clones, Konohamaru leaped out of the way as Kiba and Akamaru came from two directions, in a pincer like maneuver. "GATSUUGA" Kiba roared, the drilling effect of their claws, created scratch marks on the floor and on Konohamaru's side. Konohamaru let out a scream of pain as Kiba and Akamaru hit him with their drill-like attack.

'Crap! This isn't good...Im seriously running out of chakra and I'm just continuing to run...what to do...what to do...' Konohamaru thought as he spun his staff to try and deflect Kiba and Akamaru's attacks. Kiba stopped a few meters away from him , his claws sliding onto the floor. "Heh...As I thought you haven't improved Konohamaru" Kiba taunted as he once again charged forward along side Akamaru. 

Just as Kiba and Akamaru came close to Konohamaru two of the clones leaped forward taking the attack. Konohamaru quickly took this chance and took a swipe at both Kiba. The clones poofed out of existence, as Kiba and Akamaru landed behind Konohamaru. "No more clones now Akamaru...Let's finish him!" Kiba yelled as he reached into his pouch and threw two round objects at Konohamaru. The two objects bounced a few times before it started emitting gust of dark smoke completely covering the area. Konohamaru meanwhile closed his eyes seeing as the effects of the smoke bombs were the same as the Kirigakure no jutsu. Konohamaru sent his remaining chakra to his ears and nose.

The sound of Kiba and Akamaru's drilling attack came close. Konohamaru hearing the sound getting closer , moved his staff towards the direction and extended it's length. Swinging the staff around Konohamaru felt the metal hit something, he waited for smoke to clear to reveal Kiba and a now normal looking Akamaru. Konohamaru grinned as his remaining clone who had been hiding behind Konohamaru ran towards Kiba. Kiba grunted in pain as he got up, Akamaru rose from Kiba's side whimpering in pain.

"Heh Lucky shot Dobe..." Kiba said a feral grin formed in his face as he reached into his pouch again to take out his spare soldier pill. His hand scavenged inside the pouch trying to find the two remaining pills he kept for safe keeping in case the jutsu had worn off. 'Where is it? I know I kept it inside my pouch..Where is it?' Kiba thought as he desperately tried to look for it. Kiba looked around to see if the two pills had fallen out of his pouch during the skirmish.

"Looking for these?" Two voices came from opposite directions. Kiba and Akamaru turned to face two Konohamaru's who each had a soldier pill held out in the palm of their hand. Kiba could see which one was the real Konohamaru because of the wounds on the boy's arm and clothes. Kiba growled in anger as he crouched on the ground before launching himself towards Konohamaru. Even if Akamaru wasn't in on the fight he could still take on Konohamaru.

Konohamaru and his clone quickly leaped out of Kiba's way, Konohamaru quickly landed on the side , planting the green strip of paper he was holding. Looking over to his clone he saw that the clone had planted the strip of paper as well. Kiba quickly performed a three sixty turn , and charging forward again. "TSUUGA!" Kiba spun wildly towards Konohamaru who was smirking as he covered his nose and mouth with a piece of cloth.

Green smoke began to rush out of the paper as it ignited, creating a smokescreen that gave off a rather strong smell. Kiba doubled over holding onto his nose as he tried to shake off the smell. "WHAT THe HELL IS THAT SMELL?" Kiba yelled as he tried to focus but tears had began to form over his eyes obscuring his view. Konohamaru didn't waste anytime as he sent his clone to Kiba and kick the Inuzuka genin up into the air.

"That's called Skunk stink Kiba...and Now it's payback time for calling me Dead last" Konohamaru said as he threw Leviathan towards Kiba. he then had his hands in a seal. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Four clones popped into existence surrounding Kiba in the air. "Now I'll show you my new jutsu!" "Henge!" The clones were covered with ninja smoke as they transformed into various creatures. The smoke cleared to reveal that the clones transformed into a Tiger, a Turtle , A phoenix and a dragon. "Here I go Kiba..."

One by One the four transformed clones attacked Kiba while Konohamaru waited on the ground gathering the remaining pill induced chakra into his hand. "Suzaku" The flaming bird struck Kiba making the boy scream as burning scratches formed in his shoulder. "Byakku" Razor sharp winds cut thru Kiba's arms. "Seiryuu" Kiba felt really cold as the dragon passed him. "Genbu" The turtle smashed its hard shell onto Kiba's frozen scorched and already cut up stomach , sending the Inuzuka genin crashing onto the arena floor.

Konohamaru landed on the ground before Kiba panting heavily as he surveyed his downed opponent. "Yonjin no Yaiba RendanBlade of the Four Gods Combo complete..." Konohamaru proclaimed as Hayate checked Kiba before announcing that Konohamaru had won. "Yata!" Konohamaru started celebrating by jumping around. Everyone from the Konoha side cheered.

Konohamaru turned his gaze towards the Sandaime , his smile grew wider when he could see that his grandfather had pride in his eyes along with his uncle Asuma who still had a cigarette in his mouth. "Good Job Konohamaru...You've grown..." A voice from behind Konohamaru suddenly spoke. The young Sarutobi turned to see Naruto with a wide grin on his face. Konohamaru mimicked his grin before following the blonde Jounin back to the balcony so Hayate could announce the next bout.

"Next Fight...7th cough Match: Subaku no Temari vs. Nara Shikamaru" Hayate announced.

"How troublesome...Why Do I have to fight a girl..." Shikamaru complained as he thought of just giving up but Ino and Asuma were already directing the lazy genin down the stairs. Shikamaru let out an exhausted sigh while his opponent the sandy blonde with the four pigtails gave him an annoyed look. Shikamaru ignored Temari's glare , his eyes looking around. His gaze after a while of getting use to the arena went back to Temari who was now sporting a pissed off look.

"Cough..Begin..." Hayate said as he leaped back , Temari immediately bringing her fan around , snapping it open letting loose a gust of wind shoot out towards Shikamaru. Shikamaru meanwhile had leaped above the wind using chakra to lengthen his jump. 'Suna Genin...Hhmm They use Fuuton jutsus and Puppetry...' Shikamaru thought as he landed back on the ground a few feet away from Temari.

"Nice Dodge...but that'll be the last time you escape me...Ninpou:Kamaitachi!" Temari cried out , swinging her fan again. Shikamaru seeing her movements and the chakra enhanced winds gather around her fan quickly tried to move but he had timed it too late. Shikamaru was blown backwards , sending him crashing into the far wall. Up in the balcony his teammates were cheering for Shikamaru yelling for him to stop lazing around and use his 16 hit combo. Shikamaru grumbled inwardly 'I dont have a 16 hit combo...Sheesh...troublesome...I can't forfeit because I cant lose to a girl...and I can't hit her because she's a girl...hhmm...' Shikamaru thought as he got out of the rubble and try to check for any broken bones or such.

"Heh...Is that all? I knew it...Konoha Genin are weak..." Temari taunted trying to get a rise from her opponent who had a funny pineapple shaped head. Seeing no reaction except the same bored expression on Shikamaru's visage, Temari growled in frustration. She had never seen a lazy and weak looking genin ever. "That's it I've had enough of you giving me that lazy look! Kamaitachi!" Temari roared as she swung her battle fan sending wave after wave of razor cutting winds. 

Shikamaru seeing as there was no escape decided that he would try and hug the wall he was backed into. 'Che just a little more...' Shikamaru thought as he pulled out some kunais and shurikens from his holster. As soon as Temari stopped her assault of Kamaitachis , Shikamaru made his move sending a barrage of his remaining kunais and shurikens at his opponent.

Temari smirked when she saw the pathetic attempt of attack from Shikamaru. With a quick swing of her fan the projectiles fell to the ground with a clatter. Shikamaru was kneeling on the ground , his hands in a seal while his whole body was covered in shadow due to the canopy of the balcony. "Kage Mane no Jutsu!" Shikamaru proclaimed as his shadow began to extend forward towards Temari.

Seeing Shikamaru's shadow start to slither its way towards her, Temari gave an inaudible gasp as she leaped away avoiding the shadow knowing that coming in contact might be fatal for her. Shikamaru kept his visage as calm as possible , his eyes following the shadow and Temari's movements. Temari meanwhile halted from moving when she noticed that Shikamaru's shadow had stopped its assault. 'I see...It has a certain range...as long as stay out of its range Im safe' Temari thought.

Temari's smirk returned as she marked the floor with her fan. "This is the limit of your technique!" Temari proclaimed as she swung her fan again letting loose another barrage of razor sharp winds with a cry of "Kamaitachi." Shikamaru grunted as the winds sent him crashing into the wall, Everyone above him could not see what Shikamaru was doing since he was hugging the wall.

Temari seeing her chance that Shikamaru would not be able to dodge. "Hugging that wall and trying to hide won't get you anywhere...Che...I knew it...Konoha Genins are weak...and cowardly.." Temari taunted deciding that she just finished the fight since she felt Gaara's patience growing thin. "Kamai-" Temari started to cry out as s she swung her fan but she soon found out that she no longer had control over her body.

"Kage Mane no Jutsu success" Shikamaru proclaimed , his hands in a seal, his whole body hidden in the shadows of the balcony. "since you can't see from behind...I'll let you look behind." Shikamaru turned his head making Temari turn her head revealing the shadow from the wall which she was really close to had extended and connected to her own Shadow.

Temari's expression was one of shock and fear, fear of loss and fear of the wrath of her youngest brother if she lost. "Kage'Ei! Shadow Phantom" Shikamaru whispered , his hands forming in a seal resembling the Hand seal for Kage Bunshin. Temari growl as she tried to use her chakra to get loose from Shikamaru's shadow binding technique. Shikamaru set his gaze on the Suna Kunoichi, pouring his chakra into the shadows.

Beside the young Nara two arm like shadows extended from the shadows from the walls beside him. As the dark form raced towards Temari it began to take shape, resembling the features of Shikamaru himself. "I wasn't suppose to use this technique...because I don't like showing off and its too troublesome..." Shikamaru said, in a bored tone. 

'Troublesome...Don't have much chakra left might as well finish this off' Shikamaru thought, his hands moving to a different seal , engaging the final parts of the jutsu he had created out of boredom. Ever since he befriended Naruto, Shikamaru had gotten the idea of training for fun from the hyperactive boy, since he hated being berated by his nagging mother, Shikamaru decided to train with Naruto at least once a week. The training paid off with Shikamaru developing the Shadow Phantoms, his own version of the Kage Bunshin, clones literally made of shadows.

"Ei - Tetsumaki Phantom Whrilwind" The phantoms converge on Temari, covering her by twisting around her body. Everyone in the stands paid extra attention to the strange jutsu that Shikamaru had just performed. Most of the Elite Shinobi had surprised looks on their faces, the Nara clan held no such jutsu...There was no technique from the Nara in the Konoha Clan Archives that resembled such a technique. Sandaime blew out the smoke from his pipe a smile forming in his old face. "It seems we have another genius in the genin ranks..." Sarutobi said.

Asuma meanwhile let out a sigh of relief, Shikamaru wasn't going to lose. Hayate declared Shikamaru as the winner of the match after the lazy genin released Temari from the Phantom Whirlwind. Kankurou immediately leaped from the balcony to retrieve his unconscious sister. 'i don't know which I'm gonna be more afraid of...Gaara's wrath or Temari's sour mood once she wakes up...I hate being the middle child...' Kankurou thought leaping back into the balcony. Gaara didn't comment on Temari's loss, he gave her a quick glance before turning his gaze at the 8th match.

Two pairs of pearl like orbs had opposite reactions, One had fear while the other had excitement in the pearl white orbs of both members of Konoha's Top Clan. "Hyuuga Neji vs. Hyuuga Hinata" The electronic board flashed while the spectators were silent, some of the genins were silent buried in their own thoughts while others eyes were narrowed. The air grew with tension as both members of the Hyuuga made their way to the arena below.

On his way down, Neji's shoulder was grabbed by his green clad sensei. "Neji...don't bring your hatred for the Main Family...into this match.." Gai warned in a hissed tone as much as the loud jounin could muster. Neji gave Gai a fierce glare before continuing on his way. Gai let out a sigh and looked at each of the Konoha Jounin gathered in the chamber.

Hinata made her way towards the arena despite her shaking legs and shock upon discovering her opponent for the preliminaries. 'Why of all opponents It had to be her own cousin Neji.' Hinata shook herself, letting the fear be buried away. " I can't show my fear here...I've come this far... I can't back out...I can't...because right now...right now...He's watching me...' Hinata thought, casting a short glance to the blonde Jounin who treated her equally and spent some of his time to help her train.

All of the Konoha Jounin and Sandaime had their eyes concentrated on the arena below. 'This should be an interesting match...A Hyuuga Main House vs. Hyuuga Branch House Match' were the thoughts of the older and experience Shinobis gathered in the chamber. Hayate meanwhile let out a cough trying to let his sickness show much of his nervousness. He heard from Gai that Hyuuga Neji hated the main house with a passion. 'This is the worst and best possible match up for the preliminaries'

"Hinata-sama...before this match starts...You are not fit to be a Kunoichi...You avoid conflict...and have a sense of inferiority...I advice you to forfeit this match now" Neji said, his white orbs giving his cousin a piercing glare trying to make his point. Hinata just looked at Neji with the same white orbs but without the glare.

"I-I'm sorry Neji-niisan...I--I can't do that..." Hinata replied, never letting her eyes leave Neji's face. "I joined the Chuunin selection exam...in the hopes ...of changing myself.." Hinata said in her soft voice. Neji's eyes narrowed in disgust at what he just heard.

"I see...as I thought...You main house Hyuuga are spoiled...Change? You can't change...It is impossible...It is even impossible to change a elite to a loser..." Neji spat out, veins emerged from the sides of his visage as his bloodline limit activated itself. "With my byakugan I can see that all of this is an act..."

"Yo-you're wrong Neji-niisan I-I joined the exam on my own free will." Hinata said with a stutter at first but manage to muster enough courage to say it in a firm tone but Neji didn't hear any of it. Neji just snorted at what Hinata just said, a smirk forming on his lips. 'Pathetic...' were Neji's thoughts as he eyed the wimpy looking girl before him. 'This is the heir to the strongest clan of Konoha?'

"You can never change...You can't change Fa-" Neji said but before he could finish.

"SHUT UP!" Naruto shouted, completely surprising everyone, the usually silent Jounin just shouted . Naruto's cerulean orbs had an icy glint to it as the blonde jounin glared dangerously at the Hyuuga sophomore genin. "Is that all you're good at? Talking? Hinata says she joined the exam on her own free will...That alone has already proven that she intends to change herself...So shut up and fight already..."

'This guy...' Neji thought, looking at the Jounin's icy stare. "Hmpf...Fine..." Neji said as he let his body slide into the Hyuuga fighting stance. Hinata slid into the same stance as Neji. Hayate seeing as the talking was done started the match. Hinata rushed at Neji, pulling back her fist then pushing it into a open palm forward thrust. Neji calmly moved his body a step backwards, evading the simple move.

Hinata quickly pivoted using her left foot, dodging Neji's own open palmed strike. Hinata lowered herself into a crouch in an attempt to sweep Neji. Neji quickly leaped out of the way, when Hinata came up with two rapid strikes to Neji's chest. Everyone in the balcony watch intently at the match than seemed that Hinata had in control. From Naruto's side Sasuke and Konohamaru were silently watching the match rooting for their own year. 'Naruto-sempai is watching Hinata-san...Show Neji and everyone that you've changed.'

"Hinata...show him that he's wrong!" Naruto said, giving the Hyuuga heiress a warm smile. Hinata nodded, once again rushing towards Neji who just had a smirk on his face effortlessly evading Hinata's attacks. 'What a loser...rooting on Hinata-sama even thought Fate has already chosen me as the victor...A loser of a Jounin... Rumors are rumors...He can't be that strong...' Neji thought as he caught Hinata's arm, her hand inches from his chest. With quick finger jabs, Neji closed the tenketsus in Hinata's arm disabling her ability to expel chakra thru that arm.

"It's useless...You can't fight fate...You won't change anything!" Neji continued to be little Hinata, slapping away her arms and sending an attack of his own. Neji narrowed his eyes when Hinata also deflected his attacks. Finally losing his patience in testing Hinata's ability in the family fighting style, Neji chose to bring the fight up a notch, sending the Hyuuga heiress crashing onto the arena floor.

"Is this the ability of the Main House?" Neji sneered as he began his psychological attack on Hinata again. Hinata coughed up blood, pushing her body back up, once again ready to face her cousin. 'No this isn't...' Hinata thought as she concentrated a portion of her chakra to her remaining arm. 'Concentrate...form the chakra into a blade of sort..' Hinata thought as a blue glow emerged from her palm. 'I can still move...I can still fight...I can't lose...especially when the person who I admire is watching me...'

'Just as Naruto-san has shown me...' Hinata thought as she rushed her opponent despite her body already at it's limits. "Ninpou: Chakra no Yaiba!" Hinata cried out as the chakra gathered in her palm solidified to form a short blade made out of chakra. Neji took a step back in surprise from the strange jutsu that Hinata had created. "You Btch...Who taught you that?" Neji asked as he quickly gathered chakra thru out his whole body.

"From the person who acknowledges me...and the person I admire" Hinata simply said although the last part was more of a whisper to herself, her eyes filled with determination and hidden courage, rushing Neji with a powerful forward thrust, thrusting the chakra blade like a lance. Neji smirked before a bluish glow covered him.

"Foolish...Your futile attempt doesn't change your fate!" Neji said as he cried out his own technique. "HAKKESHOU KAITEN!" Neji roared as chakra exploded from his body in a spinning manner. Neji spun like a top as the chakra created a protective dome around him deflecting Hinata's chakra blade. The two attacks collided with each other, Hinata once again was blown backwards this time hitting the wall with a loud crash. Neji came out of his Kaiten with a satisfied smirk. "A loser will always be a loser" The sound of moving rubble caught Neji's attention, Hinata stood from the debris although abit battered but still able to fight. Hinata's eye's still had that determined look which infuriated Neji. "Impossible...how can you still be standing after a direct hit from my Kaiten?" Neji said in a angry tone. Hinata didn't respond with words but she slid back into the Jyuuken Fighting stance.

Hinata charged forward, although her insides hurt, she pushed her body which was already at it's limits. "I never back down...This is Shinobi Way..." Hinata said, her voice strained from crying out in pain. Blood dripped at the side of her lip as she reached Neji. Hinata thrust her hand forward but Neji caught it inches from his chest. With rapid strikes, Neji closed the tenketsus in Hinata's remaining arm, rendering both her arms useless.

"Forfeit...Hinata-sama...You have already lost...You can not win against me...Fate has already ordained me as the victor when our names were chosen to fight..." Neji said, staring at Hinata's struggling and beaten form. Hinata spat out the blood, before rushing at Neji, aiming a closed fist at the Hyuuga prodigy. Neji had a smirked on his face , easily evading the attacks that Hinata sent his way. "Why? Why do you continue to fight?" Neji said just as he pushed aside Hinata's arm and pushing his own palm to Hinata's chest.

Hinata coughed up blood, her body limp from Neji's Jyuuken strike. Neji stepped sideways letting Hinata fall to the floor in a heap. "You're attacks have done nothing...continuing this match is pointless..."

Up in the stands Kurenai was worried for Hinata, she could clearly see that Hinata was at her limits. 'She won't be able to stand up after that deciding blow to the heart.' Kurenai thought a smile forming in her face. 'But...but Hinata has shown that she truly wants to change herself...You've taken a large step Hinata...Good job in showing everyone...' Her thoughts were wrenched away when she heard Naruto once again shout. 'This is another surprise...the silent Naruto...being loud...I guess he just hates people belittling anyone...especially when it's family.'

Everyone had their eyes glued to the arena below, Naruto finally let his anger ebbed abit. Hinata although she could no longer use her arms and hands to attack pushed herself up. She used her left arm to hold onto her right when she stood again. "Why Hinata-sama? Forfeit...If you continue...You will die...There is no need to suffer...Forfeit...Destiny has already declared me the victor" Neji said in a angry but pleading tone.

Hinata stared at Neji for a few seconds her steely gaze turned back to her usual kind gaze. "It-it's not true Neji-niisan...I know that...that the one suffering from the destiny of the Hyuuga Main and Branch house...is you..." Hinata said struggling not to pass out. Neji meanwhile glared at Hinata, for the first time during this match, Neji lost his cool.

Neji felt his body trembling in anger. 'How dare she...how dare she try to pin the blame on me...' Neji thought as he tried to calm down but despite his efforts Hinata's words was ringing inside his head. Unable to take it anymore Neji charging forward in anger, intending to end Hinata's life. Hayate and the Jounin had alarmed looks on their faces when they saw what Neji intended to do. "Neji-san Stop!...This match is over!" Hayate shouted as he made his move to stop the enraged genin. Neji shook in anger as he counted the steps before he would deliver the finishing blow.

All of the genins watch in horror as Neji raced forward arm's extended with palms glowing. All of the jounin and Hayate moved to intercept the Hyuuga prodigy before the enraged boy did something he would regret later. Neji was only a few steps from delivering blow when a hand appeared to his side, immediately halting his progress. "Wha-?" Neji said as he stared at the person holding his hand.

Naruto stood by Neji's side, his hand holding onto Neji in an iron grip. "This match is over..." Naruto said as Hayate and the other Jounin namely Kurenai and Gai arrived only a second later. Neji glared at the blonde rookie Jounin, before glaring at Gai as if daring the man to say anything.

"So even the Jounin came to stop the match...more special treatment for the Main house..." Neji said in a bitter tone. Naruto finally let go of Neji's arm while Kurenai and Hayate yelled for the medics so they could rush Hinata to the ICU. Naruto after checking Hinata's status, started to walk back to the balcony. "Hey that..Loud Jounin over there..." Neji called to Naruto's retreating back. Naruto stopped in his tracks, turning his head to face Neji with a emotionless look. Gai's eyes went wide in shock at what Neji just called the rookie jounin. 

"Neji...Stop it..." Gai warned but Neji paid no heed to the green clad Jounin.

"If you're really a Jounin and a Shinobi...cut out the cheering for others...Only losers do such things...But I guess You're a loser as well..." Neji said with a smirk. Gai was even more alarmed when Naruto just stood there glaring at Neji. Naruto turned around, ignoring Neji's taunt which made the Hyuuga prodigy to try and infuriate the 13 year old. "Heh...I heard you're an orphan...Your father must have been to ashamed to even keep you...He must have been a loser too since You're a loser.." Neji said, a smirk forming in his face.

'Uh oh...' were Sasuke and Konohamaru's thoughts along with Kurenai and Gai. "Neji...You are way out of-" Gai started to reprimand Neji but he noticed that Naruto had disappeared from infront of them. The next thing Gai knew, Neji was sent flying to a wall, with Naruto standing where Neji stood before. 'Such speed...even faster than me...Shunpo' Gai thought as he tried to calm Naruto down. "Now...now...Naruto-kun...Don't be too hasty...I'll reprimand my own subordinate..." Gai said in a pleading tone.

"Your student has step out of line Maito-san...He may make fun of me...I'll let that slide...but he has step out of line in talking about my father...and the fourth Hokage.." Naruto said, the last part more of a whisper so only Gai could hear. Naruto then turned to Neji who had gotten out of the wall trying to figure out why he was in the wall in the first place. "Hyuuga-san...I dare you to say that to me again..." Naruto said.

Neji smirked then said. "Your Father is a coward and a loser..." Naruto disappeared from where he stood while Neji activated his Byakugan. Sandaime watched from his place, he really should stop the fight from escalating but then the Hyuuga boy had just called his successor a coward and a loser something he wouldn't slide. Neji could see everything with his Byakugan, well almost everything since right now he couldn't see the blonde Jounin anywhere.

"Heh...for a genius...he sure is an idiot...Ey Sasuke wanna bet if Neji will still be standing with his manhood intact?" Konohamaru said to Sasuke, the Uchiha prodigy just snorted before giving the young Sarutobi a smirk and a nod. The Hyuuga may be said to be the strongest clan but as of this time there were Four people in the village stronger than the Hyuuga mainly Sandaime Hokage, Tsunade, Jiraiya and Team 7's Jounin-sensei Uzumaki Naruto. Despite coming from the bloodline of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto relied on his speed , strength, training and experience and his sword. Sasuke turned his onyx orbs at the large Katana like weapon leaning against the wall. 

Neji suddenly felt chakra rocketing towards him, he gathered his own chakra ready to perform Kaiten to defend against the attack. "Kait-" Neji cried out as he started to spin when a fist materialized out of thin air and collided with his gut. 'Impossible! He broke thru my Kaiten as if it was nothing...who is this guy?' Neji thought as he was sent rolling to the ground. Once he finished rolling the boy lost consciousness when Naruto appeared above him, a hand extended with sudden flicking action. Neji lost consciousness just as Naruto finger flicked the Hyuuga prodigy's forehead. With the Hitai'ate on Neji would be out for hours but still be able to train without suffering from any brain damage. Up in the balcony Sasuke grudgingly handed Konohamaru 10000 Ryou for the lost of the bet. 

The sand team were all staring at the Blonde Jounin who was covered in a mix of blue and red chakra. Gaara could feel Shukaku waking from it's slumber for once it wasn't raving like the lunatic, instead Shukaku was shaking in fear from its containment seal. Gaara for once in his 13 years of existence felt the demon inside of him whimper in fear and heard a barely audible whisper. "No...It can't be...It's him..."

Gaara stared at the blonde jounin who had calmed down and gone back to his team who were silent. From the way Shukaku reacted, Gaara decided he should avoid this black clad Jounin at all cost. The youngest of the sand trio turned to his elder brother. "Kankurou" Gaara said making the puppet user jump a few inches off the ground.

"Ye-Yes Gaara...what is it?" Kankurou said in a stutter, he really thought Gaara wanted to kill him but his red haired brother just looked at him with slight amusement before giving him orders.

"Find out about that Blonde Jounin..." Gaara said in a monotone voice before turning his gaze back at the screen which had displayed his name and the remaining sound genin. Kankurou having been given his orders quickly transferred to the Konoha side to inquire about the blonde Jounin. Looking at the group of remaining leaf-nins, Kankurou decided to talk to the weapon specialist.

"Hey uum...Leaf- Kunoichi...Can I ask you something?" Kankurou said in greeting. Tenten looked at Kankurou in confusion. She raised her eyebrows trying to figure out why the Sand loser was coming over to ask something.

"Erm..Ok..." Tenten replied, really weirded out that the make-up wearing genin was standing close to her. Her hands were itching to reach inside her weapons pouch and stab the genin.

"What do you know about that Blonde Jounin guy?" Kankurou asked giving Tenten a smile.

"Oh..him...He's Uzumaki Naruto...recently promoted Rookie Jounin...I heard he is a ANBU Division captain before he got promoted.." Tenten replied, eyeing the blonde jounin who was talking to his subordinates clearly ignoring the match below which from what Tenten could tell was one-sided. "He's suppose to be faster than Gai-sensei and from what he showed us earlier I guess the rumors are true...I mean...I didn't even see him move..."

Kankurou nodded, his mind replaying the short scuffle before Gaara's match. 'Yeah what she said is right...This Naruto guy might be dangerous...especially when the time comes to execute the plan...' Kankurou thought waving a thanks to the bewildered weapon specialist then going back to their side. As he reached where Baki was guarding Temari, Gaara appeared in a whirlwind of sand, unscratched. Down below his opponent, Abumi Zaku, was being carried in a stretcher by the medic nins, both his arms missing.

"Weak.." Gaara said as the boy stood there like a statue. Kankurou shivered in fear at what his brother might be thinking now. Then next match which was the last one was totaly boring, it involved two Konoha-nins, a blonde Kunoichi and the remaining teammate of the quitter, who had a weird ability. Kankurou watched the last match in boredom, yawning when the girl performed her technique when the older genin used his weird stretching ability. 

Finally the preliminaries ended with the Kunoichi declared as the winner when she made the older genin forfeit. Everyone gathered back into the arena below as the Hokage with his aide came down to announce the final matches. "The Final Test will happen a month from now...The next matches will be the same but with a much larger audience...The final matches are as follows" Sandaime said as he received a scroll from Hayate, which he read before letting the sickly Tokubetsu Jounin announce the matches.

"cough These are the Final matches" Hayate said showing the Genins present the scroll which held the list of Matches before going into a coughing fit. All of the genins that advance took note of their opponents.

1st Match: Haruno Sakura vs. Hyuuga Neji  
2nd Match: Aburame Shino vs. Yamanaka Ino  
3rd Match: Nara Shikamaru vs. Sarutobi Konohamaru  
4th Match: Subaku no Gaara vs. Uchiha Sasuke  
5th Match: Tenten vs. Winner of 1st Match

After looking at the matches, Sandaime dismissed all of the genin, and went back to his office followed by the Konoha Jounin at conduct a meeting on the matter of the Chuunin Final Exams and the arrangement for the guard duty. Tsunade would already be in Sandaime's office waiting for the preliminaries to be done. 

Naruto meanwhile finished writing something into the third scroll. Each of the scroll had the respective names of his subordinates. With a final stroke, Naruto placed the scroll onto his side. 'Time to prepare team 7 for the Finals...' Naruto thought as he disappeared, He was eager to instruct his Team on the Finals he also wanted to give them orders for the Finals.


	6. Return of the God of Flash

It was a day after the preliminaries, 24 hours after Naruto sent his subordinates and their tutors to a special training area. He was currently reading thru the Yondaime's notes, trying to learn about how his father worked thruout his Shinobi life. Beside Naruto were piles of scrolls written by the Yondaime , some were filled with jutsu ideas while some were just the thoughts of an orphan genius growing up to the path of a Shinobi.

Currently the blonde haired rookie jounin-sensei was reading a scroll that was still under development. A scroll although finished by the Yondaime, it never was put to good use as the young Hokage never got to test out the contents of the scroll. Naruto had a small smile on his visage, his cerulean orbs moving thru the notes and small drawings that his father left on the scroll. 'Hhhmmmm...His own fighting style...One that utilized the jutsus that he had created. Naruto read the contents of the scroll. 'Well I got the Rasengan mastered to the extent that I can perform the technique on instinct. Shunpo...I mastered it to a certain degree but...I still need to work on it Those other two moves I hope that once Ero-Tousan gets back he'll finally give me the scrolls...To even get the basics of the unfinished fighting style I need to completely master the four of my fathers jutsu.' Naruto thought as he got up feeling abit tired from rummaging thru the Fourth's notes and scrolls.

Glancing outside his window, Naruto watched as the sun slowly rose from behind the Hokage Monument. Letting out a tired huff Naruto made his way towards the bathroom for a shower. He passed by a trapped door with seals placed directly on the sides of the door. His team , Konohamaru , Sakura and Sasuke , along with their tutors namely Kakashi , Shizune and Ebisu were behind the close trap door.

Flashback

"As you know you have exactly one month to train for the finals." Naruto said, before taking a sip from his glass of water. Infront of him were Team 7 with their belongings and standing behind them were Hatake Kakashi who wasn't really paying attention to what Naruto was saying. Shizune who was quite nervous about being in between two perverts and Ebisu who had a smug look on his face.

"But it will not be enough time for the things that you are going to learn. You Sasuke need speed and power to even get pass Subaku no Gaara's shield." Naruto said with a nod to Sasuke, tossing Kakashi a scroll. He then let his gaze fall on the smallest of the team. "Konohamaru your opponent is a lazy ass but is actually a genius. You'll need to be able to strategize as good as him or at least match him" A grin formed on Naruto's face as he tossed Ebisu a well-worn out scroll and a new scroll. Turning to the female member of his team, Naruto's expression was grim. "Sakura your opponent as from what I've heard is a genius from the Hyuuga Clan. This might be dangerous but I beleive that the only way for you to even match Neji is to use Orochimaru's curse seal."

"Yes Haruno...Instead of concealing that seal..you are going to embrace it...although the effects will be very different. With the double Elephant seal placed directly over the Evil Seal. It should immediately convert the tainted chakra to something more useful to you. What you will be learning is the next step to your jutsu..So Sakura you and Shizune are going to be training in intense Chakra control regimen." Naruto said , panting a bit from the way he just explained to Sakura what she would be doing.

"Now that I have explained the boring stuff...I am going to teach you this special training genjutsu. Normally this would take months to learn, well your not going to learn it..You're all going to learn how to deactivate it." Naruto grinned, when Shizune voiced out her own opinion.

"Ano...Naruto-kun...Isn't Genjutsu easily released with the simple 'Kai' counter?" Shizune asked, Naruto's grin growing even wider as he tried to stifle his laughter.

"Well Shizune-neechan. I've thought of that so I made sure that the counter seal is quite different. Sasuke...Konohamaru...Sakura...Please direct your attention to me..and Do not break visual contact." Naruto instructed as he started gathering chakra to his eyes and to his right hand. "This is the activation seal and the deactivation seal" Naruto said as he extended his closed fist infront of the three and further extended his middle finger.

"WHA-what the hell?..NARUTO!" Ebisu cried in outraged when the blonde jounin just gave his team the finger. "Such display of ungentlemen like manners... Now I really know that he is your younger brother..." Ebisu whispered to Kakashi who wasn't really paying attention to what they were doing. Kakashi already knew the genjutsu that Naruto would be casting. He also didn't want to be in the receiving end of the genjutsu.

"Hhhmm? You said something Ebisu?" Kakashi asked casually, further infuriating the Tokubetsu Jounin beside him.

"The genjutsu will only be released if you use 'that' counter seal. One thing though you are not allowed to remove the genjutsu during the training period since I will not be with you. I will not be there to recast it. The genjutsu is called Kansei Saimin which affects all of your senses. During the time you will be gone for training..You will feel that the pull of gravity is 3 times than its original pull as such it will hopefully increase your speed."

"Magen: Kansei Saimin Demonic Illusion: Complete Hypnosis" Naruto said, his chakra flowed outside of him and moved towards the three genin before him. All three genin suddenly dropped to their knees as if a large weight descended upon them. "How do you feel?" Naruto inquired, mirth filling his voice, cerulean orbs watched in amusement while Team 7 struggled to get up.

"Like three mountains being strapped to our backs..." Sasuke replied thru gritted teeth. Beside him his teammates were in similar situations. Nodding to the three adults behind Team 7, Naruto opened the trapdoor at his feet. The three Jounins picked up the three genin and descended down the trapdoor.

"Good...the training grounds you will be training in is quite different...Time will be much slower where you are...so when three weeks has passed in the outside world...Three months has passed by inside the training grounds...you will find everything you will need inside the grounds...I'll see you guys after three weeks..." Naruto gave a wave to Kakashi as the mop of silver hair disappeared beneath the trapdoor.

End of Flashback

After a quick shower and a change to the traditional Konoha uniform, Naruto walked over to a wall where there were two weapons displayed. Zanpaku was displayed on the wall and right below it was a normal looking katana. This particular katana was quite difficult to create for Naruto. The katana was recently finished so he didn't get a chance to test out the sword.

The blade was made of the strongest metal that Naruto could find along with two sacks of large diamonds which were then crushed to powder inorder to create for the core. With a strong diamond and four shards of crystalize Kyuubi chakra core ,the blade of Naruto's katana was almost on par with Zanpaku and Kusanagi when it came to strength.

Strapping the shimmering blade , now in it's sheath,onto his back, Naruto passed by a shelf with four red scrolls with the labels Shodai , Nidai , Sandai and Yondai. With a quick exit thru his window, Naruto began to make his way towards the Hokage tower for the Jounin emergency meeting.

Konoha Hotsprings

Early in the morning the steam from the springs were already rising as customers filled the relaxing waters. The springs were separated by a stone wall one side was the male side and the other female. The stone wall was newly built only being erected 4 years ago after the female customers kept on complaining about a white-haired pervert who kept on peeping on them while they bathe.

The owner had no choice but to build the stone wall lest he wanted to lose his rather gorgeous customers of Konoha women and some other foreign and exotic beauties. Especially when he found out that the great medic-nin Tsunade-hime had returned with Uzumaki Naruto during his latest B-rank mission a few months ago. The owner of the hotsprings could already see the new renovatoins he had been meaning to do for his booming establishment. With Tsunade-hime back and her frequent visits to the springs. The cash should be flowing constantly again.

Said slug-sannin was in the hot-springs right now along with three other females. Tsunade was in the company of Mitarashi Anko , Yuuhi Kurenai and Shizune her apprentice. After a night in the hospital working the graveyard shift and medicl academy, the women felt a well deserved soak in the healing waters of his establishment.

In the male side of the hot-springs, a certain Gama-sannin crouched low as he peered thru the cracks of the stone wall that separated him from his research material. Mt. Myokubokugama's Holy Toad-Sannin The self proclaimed sexiest man alive in all of the Shinobi countries had just gotten back from his long term mission. Jiraiya should really report first to the Hokage that he was back from his mission but after several years of not being able to see the naked female form. His perverted instinct got the better of him.

Through Jiraiya's perverted eyes, wishing he had the byakugan, he could see glimpse of the female forms on the other side, skin glowing from the heat of the water, naked and rather large assets. Jiraiya was in heaven as he watched the unsuspecting women relax and bathe, two of the women both had dark hair were sitting on the edge of the springs talking. He could feel blood slowly trickling down his nose. 'Such beauty...hahaha...Icha Icha Heaven Hotspring babes gone wild edition coming up!' Jiraiya thought as he started to scribble on his notepad not noticing that his Toton no jutsu which was still in effect was wavering from his constant movement.

Jiraiya let out a perverted chuckle as he continued to write on the notepad. His chuckles however were heard from the other side by the four well-trained kunoichi. 'Oooh that pale blonde sure has a huge rack...heheehehe nad her companions arent too bad either..I'd say a C cup...but something about that pale blonde is familiar...hhmm...Oh well...On to writing!' the super prevert thought as he wrote some more, truly inspired by what he was seeing.

Tsunade , Shizune , Kurenai and Anko heard the giggles of the pervert on the other side of the stone wall. Tsunade's left eye twitched in irritation when she recognized the giggle. She recognized that giggle, only one person had that kind of a perverted giggle. Tsunade got from where she sitting, carefully wrapping a towel over her body and motioning for the others to do the same.

With practiced ease , Tsunade used her incredible strength to break the stone wall. "JIRAIYA YOU PERVERTED BASTARD!" Tsunade roared as she tried to pinpoint the location of the forementioned pervert. Seeing noone else on the male side of the hotsprings, her eyes narrowed as she tried to sense any chakra flux that was being used. A flicker of chakra caught her attention, she turned her head to the right to see the silheoutte of Jiraiya. Blood could be seen trailing from the wall to Jiraiya's current position.

It seems that Jiraiya hurled himself there from a massive nosebleed when he saw the women get up showing off their assets in his direction just before being covered by the towels. Tsunade and company began making their way towards the self-proclaimed super pervert, deciding on whether to pummel said pervert or make sure that he wouldn't be able to peep anymore.

Jiraiya's vision was blurry as he tried to focus. He could make out four forms coming towards him, feeling the rather murderous intent being directed towards him. "No-now Ladies...There's enough of the great Jiraiya to go around" The Gama-sennin said , a grin forming on his face after he said those words. Just as he finished saying those words his vision cleared and he got to look at the identity of the women before him.

His eyes widened in shock when he realized who he had peeped at. Jiraiya shot up into an upright position, pointing an accusing finger at his teammate. "YOU! What are you doing here? I thought you left the village for good!" Jiraiya said , trying to buy sometime for him to escape. From the way the four women were moving it seemed that Jiraiya's small distraction wouldn't work.

Tsunade's left eyebrow twitched at Jiraiya's words. '10 years of not seeing each other and this is how this pervert greets me...' Tsunade thought , her left eye continued to twitch as she cracked her knuckles deciding in pummeling her teammate. " I live here you idiot. I was born here so naturally I'd come back here..." Jiraiya gave her a weak smile before leaping into the air in a desperate way to escape his teammate and company's wrath.

Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Tsunade and the three other kunoichi weren't going to give chase given their current dress. His smile wavered when a sudden weight landed on his shoulder. 'What the-?' The Toad sannin thoughts were unfinished as a hand grabbed hold of his arm and used a move Jiraiya knew all to well. 'Shunpo' Jiraiya thoght as the hotsprings disappeared.

Naruto was speeding towards the Hokage tower when he felt the fluctuation of chakra in the hotsprings direction. The familiar chakra signature told the blonde jounin all that he needed to know. His pervert of a adopted father was back and it seems Tsunade found out as well. Naruto landed on the edge of the roof several blocks away from the hotspring.

Naruto unceremoniously dropped his heavy load on the flat surface. "OWW!" The white haired pervert cried out as he got up, rubbing his behind. Jiraiya sent a glare at his rescuer. "You could have told me you were going to drop me...Naruto" Jiraiya said while examining what the 13 year old teen looked like now.

"Nice to see you too...Ero-Tousan" Naruto said with a grin before vanishing from Jiraiya's view. The frog sannin reacted immediately turning around with his arm up blocking an incoming roundhouse kick. Catching the foot, Jiraiya immediately swings the arm down to slam Naruto to the concrete roof. Poof Poof Two sets of arms caught Naruto's body before it could connect with the floor.

Jiraiya immediately released his hold on Naruto's foot as the two kage bunshins holding Naruto leaped at him. Holding his hands up to his chest in a half ram seal. Ninpou:Hari Jizou! Jiraiya's hair elongated and wrapped around his body before each strand of hair hardened like steel. The clones landed on both sides of the toad sannin. Jiraiya quickly used kawarimi no jutsu just as the clones exploded.

'His control over Kage Bunshin no jutsu and it's other variants has grown to complete mastery' Jiraiya thought as he performed a series of handseals. Naruto stood a few meters away from Jiraiya, his cerulean orbs observing what his father and mentor was doing. Naruto's eyes narrowed as Jiraiya inhaled deeply before unleashing a large blast of white hot flames. Katon: Karyuu Endan

After the flames died down, Jiraiya saw a large puddle of water, vapor slowly rising from the heat caused by the flames. Naruto stood on the same spot , with his hand held out a bluish white glow covering his hand. Suiton: Yaban Suiga no Jutsu (Water Element: Savage Water Fang technique) Spike of water rose from the puddle shooting towards Jiraiya in a drill like fashion. Naruto didn't waste time,he didn't watch whther the technique connected with it's intended target. Instead Naruto immediately moved in Jiraiya's direction, hoping to catch the man off guard. He knew that a low level technique such as the savage water fang wouldn't even land a single scratch on Jiraiya.

Doton:Doryuu Heki A wall made of earth formed as the Toad sannin puked the mud out from his mouth. The earth made wall intercepted the drill like projectiles but it also obscured Jiraiya's view. The toad sannin turned around to find a blade pressed against his neck. "I Win..." were Naruto's words before Jiraiya's hair stood on end and began shooting sharp strands of hair. Kehari Misairu (Hair Needle Missile)

Naruto in response to Jiraiya's attack started slashing his sword wildly, deflecting the sharp strands. After the barrage of hair ended, Naruto could be seen crouching on the tiled roof opposite where Jiraiya was standing. The blonde jounin was panting hard in deflecting the needles. "You were saying something Naruto?" Jiraiya said with amusement. He wasnt expecting Naruto to be able to deflect that many strands of hair but not a single needle of hair had connected with the Kyuubi Vessel.

"Good..You mastered..Shunpo...I guess you're ready for the next two steps... I'll meet you later" With that Jiraiya turned around to leave. Just as he was about to leave Naruto intercepted him by grabbing the sannin by the shoulder and warping towards the Hokage Tower. Jiraiya cursed all the way to the Hokage tower muttering about ungrateful brats and prolonging his research.

If Naruto heard any of the curses sent towards him, he paid them no heed as he landed just outside of the building. Jiraiya continued to struggle against Naruto's grip but he soon found out just how much of Tsunade's strength training had Naruto mastered. "Damnit Brat! Why are you dragging me to the old man's office?" Jiraiya inquired while trying to break free of Naruto's hold on his shoulder.

"Jounin-meeting...We're late..." was Naruto's reply as he pushed Jiraiya into the large oak doors of the Third's office. Jiraiya stumbled inside the room, looking at some old and new faces. He quickly hid behind Naruto when he saw that Tsunade and the three women he saw earlier were also inside the room.

"Ah good...nice of you to join us Uzumaki-Taichou, Jiraiya.." The Third said with a smile, his tone indicated that there wasn't going to be anymore banter just straight to business. "This morning I received some disturbing news. ANBU Division 3: CSI Dept. contacted me that they found Gekkou Hayate's body at the Hotel district." At this news murmurs began to circulate around the gathered elite shinobi. The Third had to raise his hand to silence the incoming barrage of questions.

Kurenai had her hand up to raise a question. "Sandaime-sama...how was Hayate-san killed?" Sandaime took out a folder from his desk and began passing it around for the gathered shinobis to see. Gasp of surprise and disgust could be heard all around. "CSI Dept. were able to pinpoint that the method used was jutsu. In fact from the wound marks...It is in the Wind Element category."

Silence envelooped the whole room as the information tried to sink in. Shiranui Genma stood up from his seat and began to move towards the door for an exit. The third knowing where Genma would be going had Anko and Asuma restrain him. "Yes it is indeed a wind technique but we can not arrest him as we are participating in the Chuunin Exam and also we are hosting this exam. Our alliance with Suna Nation is quite strained right now because of the Kaze Daimyou's budget cuts. If we arrest the culprit it may cause some trouble. Coupled with the sudden reappearance of Orochimaru " Sarutobi fell silent at the thought of his insane prized student. _'Orochimaru...you're connected to this aren't you?'  
_  
"I fear that there might be trouble during the Finals so we must prepare for the worse." the third generation Hokage announced. Silence once again filled the room, it's occupants comtemplating on how they should deal with a situatioin in which war might be the outcome. Without anymore to discuss the Third adjourned the meeting and dismissed the jounins except for Naruto, Jiraiya, and Tsunade.

The three of them discuss certain issues well into the night, planning on how the defense of Konoha should be handle if Suna had indeed allied with Orochimaru or that the Kazekage would declare war on them. After two bottles of Sake later, Tsunade and Jiraiya reached a compatible plan for the Finals. The Third then dismissed the three of them disappearing into the night.

The three of them, Naruto Jiraiya and Tsunade, would not be seen again until the day of the finals.

Time jump to the day of the Finals.

The participants of the Final part of the Chuunin Selection Exam were gathered in the colliseum. The most prominent figures in all of the Shinobi nations were present, ready to watch who the candidates for the Chuunin would be. Daimyous from other countries sat at the VIP area where a betting pool had arisen. Bets on Uchiha Sasuke and Subaku no Gaara were the most sought after.

Down below at the Arena stood the 9 gennin surprisingly only one stood out from the rest. Team 7 stood beside each other wearing light brown cloaks hiding their bodies from everyone else. Each member had an air of confidence in them.

Sakura meanwhile was scanning the bleachers for any sign of their Team Leader. She thought that Naruto-sempai would already be there but ever since they had come out of the training area a week ago. They hadn't seen and sign of him except the note that he left and three wrapped parcels. The note said in Naruto's scratchy handwriting. _Wear this for the Finals. Take the last week as a time to rest and prepare_. There was also another note that detailed on what went on while they were away.

"All of you show some spunk...This is your show..." The referee spoke outloud despite the booming sounds coming from the cheering crowd. "My name is Shiranui Genma. I'll be the referee for the Final exams." Genma said , his eyes glancing at the lone Suna Shinobi among the finalist. "Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Neji please remain while the others proceed to the waiting area."

Sakura and her opponent the Hyuuga prodigy remained while the rest began to move towards the waiting balcony. Sakura watch as her teammates left with the rest of the finalist. She gave them one last smile and a nod. Both male genin members of Team 7 returned her nod with a look that said Kick his ass for us. "There is no use in fighting... Fate has already decided me as the victor the moment I was chosen as your opponent."

Sakura who wasn't really listening to what Neji just said, turned to the Hyuuga's direction and replied casually. "You said something?" This earned her a death glare from her opponent. Up in the stands Maito Gai was looking suspiciously at a ANBU wearing a dog-mask.

"Eternal Rival! The beautiful Sakura has captured your hip attitude"

"Hhmm? You said something Gai?" Kakashi replied, not really paying attention to Konoha's self-proclaimed Beautiful Green Beast.

"Damn you Eternal Rival..You and your Hip Attitude." Beside Gai was Rock Lee recently recovered from the surgery to fix his body. The bowl cut boy was watching the two combatants down below at the Arena.

"First Bout Haruno Sakura vs Hyuuga Neji...Begin!" Genma announced quickly leaping backwards to avoid being hit by any projectiles the combatants may throw. Sakura meanwhile retained her calm expression,while her eyes were already scanning the environment for any advantage she maybe be able to have in this fight.

"As I said..It is useless to fight..I will be the victor no matter what happends" Neji once again started on to try and discourage Sakura. To him Sakura wasn't even worthy of facing the basics of the Hyuuga Taijutsu Jyuuken Ryu. Sakura remained silent although her Inner Sakura was straining to get out and beat him up. 'Calm Down You...We'll get our chance to beat him up once we let him show all of his cards..' Sakura thought, trying to calm the ranting of her other personality.

With his patience growing thin, the hyuuga prodigy decided to attack first, rushing at Sakura intending to end the fight. Sakura gathered chakra to her palms and dropped to a defensive position. Neji began attacking Sakura with open palm strikes at which Sakura using her precise chakra control channeled chakra to her arms to deflect his attacks as much as possible.

A smirk formed on Neji's visage when he saw an opening, taking advantage the Hyuuga prodigy went under Sakura's guard planting a somewhat gentle push to her chest. "Heh..I Win.." Neji said before Sakura exploded into smoke revealing to be just a log. Neji growled as veins erupted from the sides of his head, with the Byakugan activated he began to sought out Sakura.

Sakura quickly performed a series of handseals before placing her hands on the ground. Doton:Iwa Bunshin no Jutsu From the ground two forms crawled out, at first the clones were as the same color as the ground but after a few seconds they were exact replicas of Sakura. With her 'Bodyguards' formed, Sakura leaped out of her hiding spot throwing a handful of kunais and shuriken. Her clones followed the flying projectiles, leaping into the air and descending towards Neji.

The iwa clones raised their legs up in a high arc ready to come thundering down on Neji but the Hyuuga genius had other plans. Knowing that simply taking out the clones would leave him in a vulnerable position. Neji decided to show why he was considered as a prodigy. Gathering chakra all over his body Neji quickly began to spin. A dome of chakra encased around him just as the Iwa bunshins came crashing down with a psuedo-Tsuuten Kyaku. A Thunderous boom echoed all over the arena, Sakura meanwhile couldn't see whether Neji survived the attack although she saw the dome of chakra appear just as the clones connected..

"It's over...You are within my field of Hakke" A voice behind her broke Sakura out of her stupor. Sakura quickly leaped back trying to distance herself from Neji, her hands flashing thru quick handseals. Katon: Ryuukaho no jutsu! Fire Element Dragon Fire Canon technique! A small stream of flame erupted from Sakura's lips just as Neji closed in to attack. The single line of fire was easily dodged by Neji despite the almost pointblank range of the technique.

Sakura braced herself for the incoming attack, her Inner personality already screaming obscenities at her for not moving her cute little tushy out of Neji's range of attack. She sent a silent hiss to quite down the damned voice in her while slowly preparing to unseal one of her trump cards. Up in the bleachers Hyuuga Hiashi watched in awe at his nephew perform the techniques meant for the Main family.

Hakke: Rokujyuu Yonshou (64 hands of the eight divinations)

Up in the bleachers the crowd held their breath as the gennin hailed to be a prodigy coming from the Hyuuga clan used a Main house technique. Hiashi watched in awe at his nephew skillfully attack the 64 tenketsus sealing his opponents chakra. The crowd grew silent as Sakura was thrown backwards after the 64th blow. THe silence continued while the refereee stood by watching a smirking Neji continue to taunt Sakura.

"Give up...I've sealed your tenketsu...you can't use your chakra. I hold no grudge against you" Neji spoke, his back already turned away from Sakura. Neji already started to walk away sure that victory was his. Afterall Fate had already written that he would be the victor of this match. Too bad for Neji Fate decided to screw with him for Fate grew tired of Neji's rant about his decision already being made for him.

Sakura although in pain due to strength of Neji's attack manage to stand up but barely able to keep her balance. With wobbly legs, Haruno Sakura genin kunoichi of Team 7 yelled at Neji. "Come back here you white eyed Freak! I'm not done with you yet! You may not hold a grudge but I do" Sensing no chakra flowing thru her, Sakura took out a single pill from her pouch. A soldier pill although she wasn't exhausted, Sakura hoped that the pill would jump start her chakra coils enough for her to gain access to the damned seal as she started calling to it.

"Your Taunts are meaningless... You have no ways of fighting back now that your tenketsus are sealed... Fate has already decided me as the victor" Neji said only his head turned towards Sakura although his body shifted to side.

"You bloody coward! Stop talking like fate has already decided the outcome!" Sakura answered back, steading her legs as she clutched the pill in her fist.

"You know nothing about the Hyuuga destiny...You know nothing about me! " Neji said, his tone of voice faltered hints of anger appeared but quickly disappeared. Neji grew tired of telling his opponent to give up. If she doesnt want to give up then he should just end her life. Maybe that'll stop her from talking. Him a Coward? Hyuuga Neji is a genius and the strongest to come from the Hyuuga Clan. He was everything that a Hyuuga Clan member would hope for but a Coward was not one of them.

"You dare call me a Coward when you are already reduced to calling me names..How fitting for a Loser like you...Just like your Loser of a Jounin-Sensei" Neji said, a smirk forming in his visage. He failed to notice the sudden silence of the crowd and the way the referee used his self control from spitting the senbon between his lips towards the genin.

"You don't know what it's like to be burdened with a seal. A Bird ina cage seal...That seals the fate of a Hyuuga branch mem-" Neji began but Sakura interupted him.

"Blah blah blah! Shut up Already! I know about that stupid curse seal and what happend between the Hyuuga and the Cloud! So what if you have a seal? So what if you have a the burden of protecting the Hyuuga Main house!" Sakura shouted as she prepared to take the soldier pill. "You say I don't know how it feels to have a seal?" Sakura pulled the knot on her forehead protector, letting the fabric slide down to reveal the mark that she received from Orochimaru.

"At least your seal has a purpose...Mine was given to me because of my duty! My Duty to protect those precious to me!" Sakura said as she popped the pill into her mouth.

"Referee...This match is over...I intend to kill her...If you want to stop me... I suggest you-" Neji adressed Genma but stopped again when Sakura's tenketsus slowly opened after digesting the soldier pill. 'Impossible! It can't be opened!' Neji thought while a smirk formed on his visage once more. Even though the tenketsus were unsealed her chakra reserves were still quite depleted.

Sakura felt her chakra return to her but there was still very little left. Sakura quickly moved her hands to a certain seal. Sakura had her eyes cosed as she directed her remaining chakra to her forehead. Up in the waiting balcony Ino watched in amusement at the barely visible begin to travel towards Sakura's forehead. ' Hehe Sakura's forehead is useful after all' Sakura's jade orbs snapped open as she finished gathering chakra to her forehead. InFuuin Kaiin! (Secret Mark Unseal!)

Neji could not believe it, his opponent had just reopened her tenketsu and then gathered the remaining chakra she had left to her forehead. Neji thought that a powerful blast might erupt from Sakura's abnormally large forehead especially from the strange mark right at the center of it. Neji was prepared to perform the Kaiten if ever such a thing would happen.

Sakura felt the chakra from Orochimaru's curse seal react to her lack of chakra immediately. She felt the tingling sensation as the seal changed but instead of the black marks, the seal changed color same with the chakra as it passed thru the elephant seal. The chakra wrapped around her, her Inner personality seem to have strengthened and a much more fierce attitude. 'Loser? Us a Loser? Let me out Let me out I want a piece of that white eyed freak!' Her inner personality ranted as it tried to gain some control.

Note: This Chapter is still not finish. I'm sorry Ive been busy as of late and this chapter is only 40 percent done. I willtry to finishis As soon as possible. Hope you enjoy this small glimpse of Legacy of the Fourth Chapter 6: The Return of the God of Flash


End file.
